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SUSIEISAACS

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TIPS AND STRATEGIES TO HELP YOU WALK AWAY A WINNER!

* Over 400 Texas hold’em tips

* Winning strategies for beginners, intermediateplayers and seasoned competitors

* Learn some of the most popular varieties of poker

* Cash in on the Internet poker craze

Games/Gambling$12.95 U.S.$17.95 CAN£6.99 UK

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Raise your game with strategies from pokerpro and back-to-back World Series of Pokerladies championship winner SUSIE ISAACS!

THINK, PLAYAND WIN LIKEA POKER PRO!

Develop the skills that will help you win big!

ISBN-13: 978-1-4022-0668-9ISBN-10: 1-4022-0668-2

poker

strategies

andsecrets

* Learn the ins and outs of Texas hold’em (limit and no-limit), Omaha, seven-card stud, razz, lowball and more

* Talk the talk with the help of the comprehensive glossary of poker terms

* Learn how to make the most profit out of a big hand…and when to make a big lay down

* Find out how home poker games and Internet pokercompetitions can pave your way to the major league,big money tournaments for minimal investment

* Learn how to use other players’ mistakes and weaknesses to your advantage

* Study words of wisdom from some of today’s toppoker players

* Don’t look like an amateur—get to know the do’s anddon’ts of poker etiquette

1000 BestPoker

Strategiesand

Secrets

Susie Isaacs

Copyright © 2006 by Susie IsaacsCover and internal design © 2006 by Sourcebooks, Inc.Sourcebooks and the colophon are registered trademarks ofSourcebooks, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproducedin any form or by any electronic or mechanical meansincluding information storage and retrieval systems—exceptin the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles orreviews—without permission in writing from its publisher,Sourcebooks, Inc.

This publication is designed to provide accurate and author-itative information in regard to the subject matter covered. Itis sold with the understanding that the publisher is notengaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professionalservice. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required,the services of a competent professional person should besought.—From a Declaration of Principles Jointly Adopted bya Committee of the American Bar Association and a Commit-tee of Publishers and Associations

Published by Sourcebooks, Inc.P.O. Box 4410, Naperville, Illinois 60567-4410(630) 961-3900Fax: (630) 961-2168www.sourcebooks.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Isaacs, Susie.1000 best poker strategies and secrets / Susie Isaacs.

p. cm.Includes bibliographical references.ISBN-13: 978-1-4022-2020-3 978-1-4022-0668-9ISBN-10: 1-4022-2020-0 1-4022-0668-2

1. Poker. I. Title: One thousand poker strategies and secrets.II. Title.

GV1251.I83 2006795.412—dc22

2005033345

Printed and bound in Canada.WC 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Contents

Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vii

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xi

Poker Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

1: Limit Texas Hold’em . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

2: No-Limit Texas Hold’em . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83

3: Seven-Card Stud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143

4: Razz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175

5: Seven-Card Stud High-

Low Split Eight-or-Better . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .189

6: Omaha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .211

7: Omaha High-Low Split Eight-or-Better . . . . .225

8: Five-Card Draw Jacks-or-Better,

Jacks-Back, and Lowball Draw . . . . . . . . . . . . .245

9: Tells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .263

10: Home Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .275

11: Internet Poker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .287

12: Brick-and-Mortar Card Casinos

and Poker Rooms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .311

13: Poker Table Protocol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .329

14: My Friends Give Big Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .345

Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .376

About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .377

DedicationThis book is dedicated to my mom, “Mimi.” She

never played a hand of poker in her life, but she was

my biggest fan.

AcknowledgmentsSince I began this project, my list of appreciation for

certain individuals has grown almost daily. It isn’t

easy to write a book, even if writing and the subject

matter you are writing about is your passion,

especially if the information is sometimes technical.

It is so important to get the details correct if your

hope is to direct others in their passion or in their

pursuit to learn and excel in a multifaceted subject.

One misdirection—one “do” when you shouldn’t, or

one “don’t” when you should—could end in ultimate

confusion. I believe with the help, suggestions,

corrections, and directions of a bunch of good folks,

this work resulted in a great book.

If I have forgotten anyone, I’ll run down the Las

Vegas Strip naked (in my next life!).

Thank you Jessica Faust, my literary agent from

Book Ends, Inc., for finding me. You led me out of

the darkness of “What do I do now?” to the light of a

publisher, Sourcebooks, Inc.

Thank you Sourcebooks, Inc. for gambling on

me. Although lots of people, especially poker peo-

ple, know me, I was a virtual unknown in the world

of publishing.

Maryann Guberman, my poker editor, thank you

for making me look totally literate. I know that time is

a precious commodity and I appreciate your making

enough of it to help me out with this project.

Ewurama Ewusi-Mensah, thank you for your

time and efforts in polishing this manuscript. If you

weren’t a poker player before, you are now!

Michelle Schoob, thank you for checking and

rechecking my poker terminology. I don’t know if

every writer needs multiple editors, but I sure did!

Thank you Herminia Mahealani Suzanna Sniffen

(that’s why we call her “Hermie”), my business

partner, for carrying the load and being so patient

while I buried myself in this project.

Thank you Darlene Wood, my friend and my

research assistant. If it weren’t for you, this would

have taken me twice as long.

Thank you Linda Johnson for believing in me

and pointing me in the right direction.

Thank you Jan Fisher for explaining the theory on

the calculations of odds, outs, and percentages in

terms a regular person can grasp.

Thank you June Field for your wisdom and for

opening the first poker publishing opportunity for

me through the pages of Card Player magazine and

Poker Digest.

Thank you: Dan Harrington, author of Harrington

on Hold’em; John Vorhaus, author of Killer Poker

Online; George Elias, author of Awesome Profits; Bill

Burton, author of Get the Edge at Low-Limit Texas

Hold’em and 1000 Best Casino Gambling Secrets;

Matthew Hilger, author of Internet Texas Hold’em;

viii 1000 BEST POKER STRATEGIES AND SECRETS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ix

and Shane Smith, author of Omaha Hi-Lo Poker

(Eight or Better) How to Win at the Lower Limits, for

your tips that made this book stronger.

Thank you Dana Smith for your unselfish coop-

eration and knowledge when I hit a weak link.

Thank you Rick Gianti, even though you’re not

working in poker any longer, you’ll always have

poker in your blood and your heart.

Thank you a “stack of black,” my poker champion

friends, for enhancing this work with your poker

wisdom: Doyle Brunson, Todd Brunson, Vince Burgio,

Mike Caro, Johnny Chan, T. J. Cloutier, Barbara

Enright, Barry Greenstein, Maureen Feduniak, Phil

Gordon, Russ Hamilton, Tom McEvoy, Howard

Lederer, Daniel Negreanu, Scotty Nguyen, Greg

Raymer, Mike Sexton, Dr. Max Stern, and Robert

Williamson—you’re all the “nuts”!

IntroductionIn the days of the Old West, fistfights or even gunfights

often settled disputes. A century later, folklore has it

that characters accused of unsavory poker conduct

could be found buried in the desert. Through it all,

home poker games have prevailed. Those who

participated were not part of the criminal element.

They were regular folks who enjoyed a great mind-

exercising game of cards. The poker renaissance that

began just a few years ago has evolved into the

greatest phenomenon in recent memory. Poker

tournaments, popular among an elite group of

competitors since the seventies, now draw thousands

of newcomers from all walks of life. The World Series

of Poker, the granddaddy of all poker competitions

and the biggest and most prestigious poker

tournament for over thirty years, grew slowly but

steadily every year. It was the single richest

competition the game ever saw. Today, multimillion-

dollar poker competitions are commonplace and are

being played all over the world. You might say that the

game of poker and its reputation have gone from the

outhouse to the penthouse in only a few hundred

years. What happened? A series of auspicious events

took place that culminated with poker competition

rising to become a “top of the ratings chart” new

spectator sport. First, a group of poker-loving poker

players had a vision in the jungle. Honest! While

Mike Sexton, Linda Johnson, and Steve Lipscomb

vacationed in Costa Rica in 2000, they discussed their

common interest and love of the game. Steve shared

his vision for a concept called the World Poker Tour.

All Steve needed was funding. Mike was associated

with Party Poker (one of the first and today one of the

largest online poker sites), which was a nice fit, and

this Internet giant ultimately became a charter mem-

ber. Linda owned Card Player magazine and Card

Player Cruises. The trio, Sexton, Lipscomb, and John-

son, went to see Lyle Berman (poker player extraordi-

naire and owner of Lakes Entertainment) when they

returned to Las Vegas. Berman listened to their

fantasy and said that they would need six or eight

charter members—casinos or online poker sites

willing to participate. Before he committed to his part

in the big plan, Berman gave them a deadline of six

months to find six sponsors willing to bet on the

come, so to speak. They got their participating charter

members in six weeks and the deal was on!

The World Poker Tour was a success from the

first season it aired in 2002 on the Travel Channel.

The brainstorm that turned poker into a true

spectator sport was the tiny “lipstick” cameras built

into the poker table. Poker has been televised for

years, but it was about as exciting as watching a

dog sleep. Suddenly, the ability to know what cards

the players were holding and to watch how they

xii 1000 BEST POKER STRATEGIES AND SECRETS

interacted with each other, bet, and bluffed,

opened a totally new frontier. Poker was downright

exciting, and its popularity exploded!

Three dedicated poker players really thought the

World Poker Tour would be a homerun, and it

turned out to be a grand slam! The poker world is

forever changed because of these three visionaries

in the jungle.

The next giant step in the unbelievable growth of

poker popularity came about on May 24, 2003, when

a young man from Nashville, Tennessee, named

Chris Moneymaker (his real name!) won the coveted

World Series of Poker title and an unbelievable $2.5

million. Prior to his first visit to Las Vegas and his

first “live” poker tournament, he was not a wealthy

man. He was an accountant and a family man, the

guy next door, and a breadwinner.

Through the years anyone in a financial position

to shell out $10,000 could have the privilege of

matching wits with the best poker players in the

world. Moneymaker, just a regular guy, won his seat

in an online poker competition that cost him a mere

$40. The popularity and acceptance of a game that

once was frowned upon by a large segment of the

population experienced a complete metamorphosis.

Moneymaker was a huge piece in this phenomenal

poker puzzle. Overnight he became to poker what

Tiger Woods is to golf and Bill Gates is to computers.

The following year, 2004, another everyman and

online qualifier, Greg Raymer, won the title and $5

million! This really put the icing on the poker cake.

It proved that Moneymaker’s feat wasn’t a fluke; it

INTRODUCTION xiii

could and did happen again. Long shots do come

in. It is now a matter of record that anyone with

some poker skill, luck at the right times, an ability to

bluff but avoid being bluffed, and a lot of patience

and heart can become a millionaire—or at least a

thousandaire—through poker.

Though it has reached a new pinnacle over the

last few years, poker is and always has been a sport

of skill that also happens to be fun, and a great

social activity for the masses. Learning how to play

poker properly is easy with the advent of Internet

poker to practice in private and televised poker

competitions to watch and enjoy. Online poker sites

and public casinos and cardrooms offer every

individual the opportunity to learn to play poker

correctly. However, in order to excel in your private

poker games or compete in the big time, you’ll need

certain tools. 1000 Best Poker Strategies and Secrets

will pave the way to acquiring the skills and

knowledge that will help you win.

Over the years there have been a wide variety of

poker games to incorporate into your poker reper-

toire from silly wild card and poker drinking games

(so you don’t care if you win or lose) to the real

poker games that can be mastered. In this book,

we’re going to concentrate on the most popular

games played in brick-and-mortar poker empori-

ums (casinos and cardrooms) and online poker

sites as well as some that are not easy to find in a

casino, cardroom, or online but are great games to

play at home. If you are a beginner who wants to

learn how to stop losing (at the very least) and learn

xiv 1000 BEST POKER STRATEGIES AND SECRETS

how to win, an intermediate player who wants to

improve his game and win more, or an advanced

player who wants to reinforce and define his game,

this book is for you. It also may introduce you to

some real poker games that you are not familiar

with but will enjoy playing. There is a lot more to

poker than the no-limit games you watch on TV.

We will cover the following games:

• Limit Texas hold’em: a flop game in which each

player receives two hole (private) cards to go

with five community cards. Each player makes

the best five-card hand out of the seven cards.

• No-limit Texas hold’em: the basics are the

same as limit hold’em except you can bet any

amount at any time. It’s the same as limit Texas

hold’em, only different! Sounds simple, but it

isn’t!

• Omaha: another flop game where each player

receives four hole cards to work with.

• Omaha high-low split: begins like Omaha but

with a twist that lets you play for the highest

hand, the lowest hand, or both. (To win both

ways is to “scoop” the pot.)

• Seven-card stud: a favorite and a staple for

most who know poker. In seven-card stud play-

ers receive two downcards, four upcards, and

one more down. (There are no community

cards in stud games. Each player receives his

own seven cards to make the best five-card

hand.)

• Razz: like seven-card stud, except you play for

the best low hand rather than the best high.

INTRODUCTION xv

• Seven-card stud high-low split: similar to

seven-card stud, but with the same two-way

twist as Omaha high-low. Stud high-low is sort

of a combination of seven-card stud and razz, a

real thinking (wo)man’s game.

• I also will give you the ins and outs of a few Cal-

ifornia cardroom games that were once very

popular: five-card draw with a joker, jacks-

back, and lowball.

With the exception of draw poker, jacks-back,

and lowball, each chapter on each of the aforemen-

tioned games will be divided into subsections: tips

for the beginner, tips for the intermediate, and tips

for the advanced player.

For those of you who want to go a little deeper

and get more information on the psychological

aspects of poker, the chapter on tells will take you to

the next step in becoming a winning player. Poker is

as much about playing the people as it is about

playing your cards.

We will discuss home games. If you already host

a home game, you may pick up some fresh ideas for

fun and profit within the pages of this chapter. We’ll

also discuss playing poker on the Internet for fun,

practice, and profit and how to make a smooth tran-

sition from your home to real brick-and-mortar

poker emporiums.

The majority of you who decided to purchase

this book will have a basic understanding of the lan-

guage of poker. You know at least the most common

terms, the flop (the first three community cards),

xvi 1000 BEST POKER STRATEGIES AND SECRETS

INTRODUCTION xvii

the turn (the fourth card), and the river (the fifth).

There is so much more poker jargon that you will

have a much easier time gaining a full understand-

ing of the upcoming tips if you familiarize yourself

up front with the glossary. If you come across a

word in the tips that causes you to scratch your

head and say, “Huh?” just check out the glossary for

a full understanding. I’m not only going to teach

you how to become a better poker player, you’re

going to get a bonus; you’ll also be learning another

language!

Keep one thing in mind as you develop your own

winning style; the best poker players in the world

will have losing days and the worst poker players in

the world will experience winning days. There is no

other sport in the world where this can happen so

dramatically. But keep in mind that the cream will

rise to the top.

If you have the desire, the patience, the drive, the

heart, and the determination, maybe—just maybe—

someday you’ll find yourself at the final table of a

major poker tournament, rubbing elbows with the

poker stars! Please tell them I sent you.

Last, but certainly not least, I’ll have a chapter of

tips, comments, and opinions from some of the

superstars in the wonderful world of poker who I

have had the privilege of meeting through the years.

The GoalIn poker, your goal is to make the right decisions—

whether to call, fold, check, raise, or reraise—so that

at the end of each hand you are either the holder of

the winning hand or the last (wo)man standing—or

if you lose the hand, you lose as little as possible.

Correct decisions (sometimes coupled with some

luck) will determine the overall winner. By overall

winner, I mean that although you may lose some

sessions or some tournaments, when you continu-

ally make the correct decisions, at the end of the

year, the cream—you!—will rise to the top.

PokerBasics

Table Layout

D: Dealer button

SB: Small blind

BB: Big blind

EP: Early position

MP: Middle position

LP: Late position

Hand RankingsRemember, the winning hand is made up of the best

five cards (see below for rankings). You may use one

or two of your hole cards in conjunction with three or

four of the community cards in hold’em; in Omaha

you must use two of your hole cards.

2 1000 BEST POKER STRATEGIES AND SECRETS

DEALER 1

2

3

4

56

7

8

9

10

LPLPDMP

MP

MPEP EP

BB

SB

Cut-offSeat Button

Under the Gun

Button will moveclockwisearound the table

Betting begins to the left of the BB (big blind)

Be gone

Be lucky

Low Cards

Highest Card

In some poker games such as razz and Omaha

high-low, players attempt to make low hands. See “A

Note about Low Hands” in chapter 4, “Razz,” for an

explanation of how low hands are ranked.

Nine Fundamentals Every PokerPlayer Should UnderstandstandBecoming a winning poker player takes a wealth of

knowledge and hundreds of hours of practice. There

is no shortcut to the destination, but these nine

fundamentals should form the basis of your play.

Take the time to read and understand this list and

the corresponding tips in the book; then incorporate

this knowledge into your game. Doing so will pay off

in spades.

POKER BASICS 3

Be careful

Be ready to bet your

ballpoint pen


toaster


stereo


Schwinn

Be ready to bet your Geo


Mercedes


yacht

Bet the ranch and the

cattle

One Pair

Two Pair

Three of a Kind

Straight

Flush

Full House

Four of a Kind

Straight Flush

Royal Flush

1. Position: Your location at the table in relation

to the betting action will be a key factor in how

you play each hand.

2. Patience: So easy to understand, so difficult to

execute. To win consistently you must depend

on skill combined with a little luck, and that

takes the patience to wait on the proper start-

ing hands.

3. Psychology: Poker is not just about playing the

cards you’re dealt; it is also about playing the

other players.

4. Changing Gears in Tournament Play: A good

poker player knows when to change his style

of play (aggressive versus conservative and

coasting, for example). This talent is critical to

tournament success.

5. Making Big Laydowns: The solid player knows

when to fold big hands.

6. Not Overbetting or Underbetting the Pot in

No-Limit: The biggest single mistake novice

no-limit hold’em players make is betting too

much or too little. They give no thought to the

strategy of the game—when to bet, how much

to bet, and why to bet it.

7. Knowing Your Opponents: I cannot stress

enough how important it is to know how your

opponents play. If a very good player, a player

you know to be solid, puts in an unusually

small raise, he probably wants a call or a

reraise. This should be a red flag warning to

you—don’t cooperate!


8. Keeping Up with What Cards Are Live or Dead:

You must remember what cards in your hand

or on the board could affect the strength of

your opponent’s hand or the strength of your

hand.

9. Scooping: In high-low split games your goal is

to win the whole pot every time. Never enter

the pot with the hope of going only high or

only low.

POKER BASICS 5

GlossaryAction: The term used for checking, betting, or

raising. In a loose game there is a lot of action,

which means a lot of betting. The person whose

turn it is to bet is said to have the action on him.

Ace-X: An ace with any card lower than a 10 in your

hand. For example, A-3.

All In: When a player has put all of his chips into the

pot. If a bet, call, or raise takes all the chips in front

of a player, he is “all in.”

Ante: A required bet from every player at the begin-

ning of a hand. The amount of this forced bet

increases at the start of each new level of a tourna-

ment. A dealer will often say, “Ante up.”

Baby or Babies: Small cards, 2, 3, 4, 5, and sometimes

a 6.

Baby Pair: Any pair lower than 6s.

Banana: A card that adds no value to your hand. In

particular, a high card that hurts a low hand, example:

a 9 or above. In poker terminology a banana is

synonymous with a “brick.”

Best All Round: In some poker tournaments, players

receive points for the order in which they finish the

tournament. Example: If a tournament has three

hundred players, the third player to bite the dust

would receive 3 points, the player who placed second

place would receive 299 points, the winner would get

300 points, and on down the line. Points from every

event are added up and the highest scoring player

wins a special prize, often a spiffy new car.

Bicycle: A perfect razz hand; A-2-3-4-5. See wheel.

Big Draw: A big potential hand in which you need

one card to complete your straight, flush, full house,

and so forth.

Big Slick: An ace and a king. A strong starting hand in

any hold’em game and even stronger when suited.

Blank: Cards that add no value to a player’s hand.

Blind Defender: A player who has a habit of calling

raises when he has either the big or the small blind

in a hold’em game. This is done to protect his initial

investment regardless of the strength of his hand,

but it is not good play.

Blinds: A forced bet that one or more players must

post in order to start the action on the first round of

betting. The blinds rotate clockwise around the

table. In most hold’em and Omaha games there are

two blinds: the big blind and the small blind.


Bluff: The art of betting or raising with a bad hand

and making your opponents think you have the

best hand.

Brick: See banana.

Brick-and-Mortar: Poker rooms located in a build-

ing versus poker played in cyberspace or on the

kitchen table.

Bring-In: A mandatory bet by the player dealt the

lowest upcard to start the first round of betting in

seven-card stud or seven-card stud high-low split. If

more than one player has the same rank of low card,

then the suits in alphabetical order—clubs, dia-

monds, hearts, and spades—determine who must

start the action. The lowest card in the deck is the

deuce of clubs.

Bubble: In a poker tournament, the player who is

the last to be eliminated before the prize money is

said to be on the “bubble.”

Button: A round white disk used to represent the

dealer position; also referred to as a dealer button.

This marker rotates clockwise around the table for

the purpose of indicating from what position the

cards are dealt. It also determines who is the first to

act.

GLOSSARY 9

Bully: A player who repeatedly takes advantage of his

intimidation factor and/or chip lead by playing

overly aggressive no matter the strength of his hand.

Buy-In: The entry fee for a poker tournament or the

amount of chips one purchases for the purpose of

playing poker.

Cardroom: The area in a casino where poker is

played; also known as the poker room.

Call: The amount of money or chips put into the pot

that equals your opponent’s bet or raise.

Calling Station: A player who calls all the time with

or without a good hand or the potential of making a

good hand.

Change Gears: To go from playing tight to loose or

playing aggressively to passively or vice versa. This is

a very important technique in poker tournaments.

Check: To pass or decline to bet when the action is

on you.

Check-Call: To pass or decline to bet when the action

is on you but to call if someone behind you bets.

Check-Raise: To pass or decline to bet when the

action is on you but to raise if someone behind you

bets.


Chip: A token that represents varied denominations

of money.

Connectors: Cards that are in consecutive order.

Example: 4-5, 8-9, Q-K, and so on. In Omaha you

would have four cards 10-J-Q-K or A-2-3-4, and so

forth.

Cold-Call: Calling an original bet and a raise.

Counterfeit: To be counterfeited in a poker game is

to have the best hand beaten by the cards on the

board. Example: You hold a pair of pocket 8s. Your

opponent holds Q-A. You have the best hand before

the flop. The flop is 9-9-3. You have the best hand

after the flop with 8s and 9s. The turn is a jack; you

still have the best hand with your two pair. The river

card is another jack. You lose to the Q-A because the

best hand now is two pair with an ace. The two pair

on the board is bigger than your pair. The river card

counterfeited your winning hand.

Cut-Off Seat: The position one seat to the right of the

button. The button is the best position in a hand of

poker. The cut-off seat is the second-best position.

Dealer Button: See button.

Deuce: Another way to refer to a 2 card. Example: A

2 of hearts is also called a deuce of hearts.

GLOSSARY 11

Door Card: The first upcard in a game of seven-card

stud, seven-card stud high-low split, or razz.

Double Through: A term used when you go all in,

someone matches your bet, and you win the pot.

You have doubled the amount of chips you had.

Drawing Dead: Playing a hand that has no possibility

of winning because the cards you need are either in

the muck or in the hands of other players. You

seldom know that you are drawing dead.

Established Pot: A pot with enough chips in it that

it is worth winning at any point.

Felt: The material used to cover poker tabletops.

When a player has very few chips, he is said to be

down to the felt.

Field: The players in a tournament.

Fifth Street: The third upcard in a hand of seven-

card stud, stud high-low, or razz, which is the fifth

card in a player’s hand.

Fill Up: Making a full house when you have trips, a

set, or two pair.

Fish: A weak player, a sucker, a loser. If you can’t

identify the fish at the poker table, it probably is

you.


Flop: The first three community cards in hold’em or

Omaha, which are dealt faceup simultaneously.

Flop Game: Any poker game where community

cards are used.

Flush: Five cards of the same suit. Example: If you

are playing seven-card stud and you are holding a

A-J-10-7-2 of hearts, you have an ace-high heart flush.

Fourth Street: The second upcard in a hand of

seven-card stud, stud high-low, or razz, which is the

fourth card in a player’s hand. See turn.

Free Card: A card that didn’t require calling a bet to

see.

Full House: Three of a kind with a pair, such as three

kings and two 3s. That is called “kings full of 3s.”

Gutshot: A draw to an inside straight, where only

one card will complete the hand. Example: J-9-8-7

requires a 10 to complete the straight. For players

who go after a gutshot straight, see fish.

Heads-Up: A hand in which there are only two

players.

Hole: Your first two downcards in seven-card stud,

stud high-low, razz, or your downcards in flop

games.

GLOSSARY 13

Implied Pot Odds: The amount you believe will be

in the pot after the betting is done. Often the pot

odds will not justify a call, but when the implied

odds are considered, a call may be the correct play.

In the Pocket: Your downcards. See hole.

Juice: The amount the casino or cardroom takes

from the pot for its profit. It usually is 10 percent

with a $3 to $5 maximum. Also the amount tacked

onto a tournament buy-in to pay expenses.

Kicker: A side card. Not an important card unless

you are tied with a player on a hand, then the highest

kicker will win. Example: In hold’em, if the board is

two pairs and a jack, you will win if you have an ace

kicker.

Limit: The amount any player may bet or raise on

any round of betting.

Limp In: To enter the pot by calling rather than

raising.

Limper: The player who enters the pot for the min-

imum bet.

Live Card: The cards that are still available and have

not yet been seen in any game of poker.

Lone Ace: An ace with another card of no significant

value, as in ace-blank or ace-rag.


Loose: Playing more hands than would be consid-

ered normal.

Loosey-Goosey: A player who plays almost every

hand with no regard to hand value, pot odds, or

what another player may be holding.

Muck: The pile of discarded cards in a game of poker.

Multiway Action or Multiway Pot: When several

players are involved in the same pot.

Move All In: In no-limit when you bet all the chips

(money) that you have in front of you in one action.

Make a Move: To try a bluff.

Maniac: A wild, unpredictable player who plays

unconventionally and superaggressively with no

respect for hand value and no respect for the solid,

conservative player.

Nut Flush: The highest possible flush.

Nut-Nut: In Omaha high-low, nut-nut means the

best possible high hand and the best possible low

hand.

Nut Straight: The highest possible straight.

Nuts: The best possible hand at any given point in a

hand of poker.

GLOSSARY 15

Offsuit: Not of the same suit. Example: You are

holding an ace of hearts and a king of clubs. You

have big slick offsuit.

Out-Kicked: When the next highest card deter-

mines the winning hand and your card is lower

than your opponent’s card. Example: In a game of

hold’em, if there is a jack on board and you hold

Q-J to your opponent’s A-J. You both have a pair of

jacks, but you are out-kicked, therefore you will

lose the pot.

Outs: The possibilities available to make your hand.

Overcard: Any card that is higher than your oppo-

nent’s card.

Overlay: The amount you can win versus the

amount you invest. The more you can win on a

small investment, the better the overlay.

Overpair: A pair of high cards in your hand; or in

flop games, one in your hand and another on the

board. Example: You have a pair of 10s in the pocket

in hold’em. The flop brings 9-7-3. You have an over-

pair.

Paint: Any face card: a king, queen, or jack.

Pass: To check or to fold.


Play Back: Raising or reraising in response to your

opponent’s bet or raise. Example: You have a bully at

your table who always raises when you have the big

blind. You pick up a marginal hand and reraise him.

You have played back at him.

Play Fast: Aggressively playing one’s hand.

Pocket: Another term for your downcards. Example:

If you have A-K down, you have big slick in the

pocket.

Pocket Pair: A pair in the hole. Example: If you have

two 10s down, you have a pocket pair of 10s.

Position: Your location at the table in relation to the

betting action.

Pot: The chips in the center of the table.

Pot Committed: If you raise in no-limit and someone

reraises you all-in, if you have the majority of your

chips already in the pot, you are pot committed.

Pot Odds: Pot odds is the relationship between the

current pot to the current bet.

Preflop: Prior to the flop.

Preflop Raise: A raise before the flop.

Quads: Four of a kind.

GLOSSARY 17

Rag: A card that is of no value to a player’s hand.

Rainbow: A sequence of cards in different suits.

Example: If the flop comes 3«-7ª-Q¨, you have a

rainbow flop.

Railbird: Viewers who watch poker competition

from the rail, which is actually a rail, a rope, or a half

wall surrounding a poker area.

Rake: The amount of money the house (casino, card

club, or home game) takes from each poker pot to

pay the expenses.

Raise: To bet an additional amount after someone

has bet.

Reraise: To raise someone who has raised in front of

you.

Ring Game: A game of live poker in a casino or card

club. Players can buy in, go broke, and buy in again

and play for hours or days. Or they can buy in, play

for only a few minutes, and leave the game.

River: The last card dealt in most games.

Rock: An ultraconservative player who plays only

premium hands.

Rolled up: In stud games when a player is dealt

three of a kind in his first three cards.


Runner: When the next card drawn is the perfect

card to fit your hand.

Rush: When a player wins an unlikely number of

pots in a relatively short period of time.

Sandbag: To slow-play a hand.

Scare Card: A card that appears to hurt the strength

of your hand by making your opponent’s hand

stronger.

Scoop: In games in which the pot can be won by

high and low hands, to scoop the pot is to win both

ways, with high and low, simultaneously. This is the

object of any high-low game.

Semibluff: To bluff a pot when you have multiple

outs, that is, you have the potential to make a win-

ning hand.

Set: Three of a kind.

Short Stack: Having too few chips to make two full

bets.

Showdown: The point in a hand of poker on the

river when the players show their hands and the pot

is awarded to the winner.

GLOSSARY 19

Slow-Play: To deliberately check or call with the

best hand in hopes of winning more money in the

later rounds of betting. Showing no strength while

holding a strong hand.

Smooth Call: To call rather than raise an opponent’s

bet.

Split Pair: A pair with one card up and one card

down in seven-card games.

Steal: To aggressively bet with the worst hand with

the intention of causing your opponent to fold what

is probably the best hand so you can win the pot. To

steal a pot is another term for bluffing.

Stiff: A player who never leaves a tip is called a stiff

(among other derogatory names).

Straddle or Live Straddle: When a player under the

gun puts in a raise before the cards are dealt.

Straight: Five consecutive cards of mixed suits.

Example: K«-Q¨-J©-10ª-9©. This is a king-high

straight.

Structure: The predetermined limits of a game,

including antes, blinds, forced bets, subsequent

bets, and raises.


Stud: Short for the poker game seven-card stud, in

which each player is dealt two downcards, four

upcards, and a final downcard. The best five cards

out of the seven make your hand.

Suited: Cards of the same suit.

Sweater: A friend or fan who usually sits behind a

player or watches from the rail and roots for him to

win.

Tell: A habit or mannerism a player possesses that

conveys information in direct correlation to the

strength or weakness of his hand.

Three Flush: In stud games the first three cards dealt

being suited. Example: You are dealt a 3ª-5ª-Aª.

Tight: Playing fewer hands than would be normal.

Top Pair: Having paired the highest card on board

in hold’em and having the best pair in stud games.

Tournament: A competition in which poker players

vie for cash and prizes.

Trips: Three of a kind.

Turn: The second upcard (fourth street) in stud

games or the fourth community card in hold’em.

GLOSSARY 21

Two-Outer: When only two cards in the deck can

make your hand the winner. Not a good bet.

Under the Gun: The first person to act before the

flop in flop games.

Underpair: A small pair to the board. Example: If

the flop is K-7-3 and you have an A-3, you have an

underpair. See overpair.

Wheel: 5, 4, 3, 2, A. A baby straight. Also known as a

bicycle.

Win Rate: The amount of money you can or should

win in relation to the amount of money you invest.

Wraparound Hand: A hand that can make a straight

from either end. Example: K-Q-J-10 can make a

straight with a 9 or with an ace.

WSOP: World Series of Poker.


Although no-limit Texas hold’em is growing

enormously in popularity (due largely to televised

competition), one must have a full understanding of

the game of limit hold’em before moving into the

arena of no-limit. The basics of both games are the

same: the deal, two cards are dealt to each player

beginning with the player to the right of the button

(see table layout on page 2), followed by a round of

betting, the flop, followed by a round of betting, the

turn, followed by a round of betting, and last but

definitely not least, the river, followed by a round of

betting, and then to determine the winner, the

1.Limit TexasHold’em

showdown. This is where the similarities end.

Strategies for limit and no-limit hold’em are totally

different! The player who believes that the only

difference in these two games is the amount of

money you can bet at each betting round has a lot to

learn if he wants to become a winning player.

Limit hold’em is much more a game of playing

the cards. No-limit hold’em is a game of psycholog-

ical warfare (playing the people). Not incidentally,

position is also a very important factor in either

game.

Remember, to be continuously successful at any

poker game, one must be continually patient.

Limit Hold’em Tips for the Beginner

1.When you sit down at any poker table, your

first order of business is to wait. You want to

wait and watch. Try not to play a hand until you

have watched eight hands or more. This time of

observation will give you an opportunity to get a

feel for the table and how the players are playing.

2.Position is so very important. As you can see

from the positional tips later on, your position

can determine what you play and how you play it.


3.You will make two major decisions before

entering a pot. The first big decision you will

make is choosing which hands you will play. The

second big decision is deciding whether or not to

continue playing after you have seen the flop.

4.If you decide you have a good hand to play,

see the flop. If the flop is a nice fit to your

hand, continue. If it is off in left field compared to

your two cards, bid farewell to this hand unless it is

checked to you. Always take a free card!

5.Example: You are in middle position holding

ace¨-10©. The flop brings 6«-5ª-Qª. That

flop missed your hand completely. If it is bet in front

of you, let your cards go. On the other hand, if the

flop is 10ª-6«-5ª, you should either bet or raise

because you have top pair, top kicker.

6.The flop could also give you a good draw. Say

your hand is K¨-10©. If the flop contains a

jack and a queen, you have an open-ended straight

draw. Now you want to continue with the hand if it

is a multiway pot. There is no need to draw at a

hand if there are only two other players in the hand

or if you are heads up, especially if your opponents

are playing aggressively. You are probably drawing

while their hands are made.

LIMIT TEXAS HOLD’EM 25

7.If you have nothing after the flop, fold, save

your money, and wait for the next good start-

ing hand. Don’t continue a hand on wishes and

hopes; it’s a very expensive bad habit.

8.If other players at your table play eight or

nine hands out of ten, they are not good

players. They are there because they want action.

Playing properly means nothing to them.

9.One of the attractions about the game of

poker is that bad players can win. They can

make every decision incorrectly and still win

because of the luck factor.

10.As a good player, you will play far fewer

hands and occasionally, the yahoo (my

slang for bad player) will put a bad beat on you. It

hurts and it’s aggravating; but you have to look

forward, not back. In the long run, at the end of the

day or the week, the month, or even the year, the

good player will prevail. Eventually the cards will

break even and that is when the best player wins.


11.You also need to practice reading the

board. Ask yourself, what is the best

possible hand? For example, if the board is 2ª-7ª-

A¨-10©-9ª, the nuts (the very best hand possible)

is an ace-high heart flush. The second nuts would

be a king-high heart flush.

12.The nuts can change from the flop to the

turn to the river. Just because you flop a

nut hand, it doesn’t mean that it will remain the nut

hand and you need to bet accordingly.

13.For example, if the flop is 5ª-Q¨-9¨,

the nuts at this point would be three

queens. If the turn brings the 3¨, now the best hand

is an ace-high club flush.

14.However, everything can change on the

river if the board pairs the 5. Now the

nuts is quad (four) 5s and the second nut is queens

full.

15.Hand selection and which position you

enter the pot from are very important in

limit hold’em. Raising from any position with the top

three hands, A-A, K-K, and Q-Q is always a good bet.


16.A-A and K-K are worth a reraise if it has

been raised when the action is on you. If

you are in late position with A-A and the pot has

been raised and reraised when the action gets to

you, put in a third bet. At this point you have the

nuts and need to play it thusly.

17.Other big hands such as K-A (big slick), J-

J, Q-A, or 10-10 need to be played a bit

more carefully. If you are playing at a tight table

(conservative), raise with these hands from early

position. If you are at a loose (aggressive) table, just

call from early position—but also call if someone

raises from a later position. Finally, if the pot is

raised before you, just call.

18.After entering the pot with K-A, J-J, Q-A,

or 10-10, the flop, the number of players

in the pot, and the action before you will determine

what your next action should be. If the flop is all

rags (small cards), you should bet if it is checked to

you. If the pot has already been opened, you should

raise with the J-J or the 10-10.

19.If the turn and the river are not scare

cards (a card that appears to make your

opponent’s hand stronger), then repeat your action

unless you were raised on the flop. If that is the case,

a check-call is okay.


20.As pretty as K-A or Q-A is, especially

from late position, don’t fall in love with

the hand. Keep in mind that the value of these big

hands declines as more players enter the pot.

21.Speaking of big hands, not all three-of-

a-kind hands are equal. If you have a

pair in the pocket and a third one of your cards

appears on the board, you have a set. If the board

has a pair that matches one of your cards, you have

trips. A set is more powerful than trips—it is more

difficult for your opponents to put you on a set.

22.If you flop a beautiful set, hopefully there

will be a big card or two also. Your hand

is so well disguised that if you’re in early position you

should go ahead and bet. If you’re in late position

and the pot is opened before it gets to you, don’t

raise until the turn when the bet doubles. Maximize

the profitability of your set. Anytime you flop a set in

hold’em you will win 80 percent of the time!

23.It does not take a nut hand to win a pot.

As a matter of fact, it’s pretty rare for

someone to have the nuts. I know a player who

keeps two walnuts in his pocket. At showdown, if he

rolls his nuts into the pot, everyone knows he has

the nuts. He is a winning player, but he doesn’t get

to do his “walnut visual” often.


24.Many poker teachers preach, “Take one

look at your cards and memorize them;

never look back at them.” This poker teacher dis-

agrees, especially for the new player. Look at your

cards as often as necessary.

25.If you are in a hand until the end, always

turn your cards up, even if you think you

have a losing hand. Occasionally, you may have

been going for one hand, and make another unbe-

knownst to you.

26.For example, if you were drawing to a

flush and missed, but the hand is

checked on the river, you may have made a hand

you weren’t thinking about, like a straight or a baby

pair, which could be a winner. Part of the many

responsibilities of a dealer is to read all hands that

are turned up. If you miss something, he should

catch it.

27.Along the same lines, never muck (dis-

card) your cards if someone calls a hand

that will beat you until you and/or the dealer sees

that hand. Mistakes can be made, and they can be

corrected.


28.Example: You start the hand with a

pocket pair of jacks. The board is safe

(no card over a jack) but there are three hearts. If at

the end of the hand your opponent calls out that he

has a flush, make sure you see it! He may have the

ace of hearts and a 10 of diamonds in his hand. He

recalls that he has two red cards and he may believe

he made a heart flush. He also may be one of those

who listened to the preaching about the command

to take only one look at your cards.

29.Always consider your position before

entering a pot. Some hands you will fold

if you are under the gun (first to act) but you may

raise from late position. To reiterate, decisions such

as this always depend on the caliber of players at

your table.

30.Example: If you are under the gun with a

Q-10 offsuit, I recommend you pass

(fold). The reason is you might have to call a raise in

order to see the flop and you cannot call a double

raise. If the flop brings a Q and you bet, what hap-

pens if you are raised? How do you like your 10

kicker now?


31.However, if you are on the button (best

position) with the same hand and no

one has entered the pot, you can consider putting

in a raise in hopes of picking up the blinds. Even if

you don’t and one or both of the blinds call and then

check the flop, your bet will probably win you the

pot.

32.Continuing with our Q-10 in late posi-

tion, if a tight player raised in front of

you, you should fold. If a loose player raised, you

should call and see the flop and then proceed cau-

tiously; if a 10 or a Q comes and the loosey-goosey

bets, you should raise!

33.When you are in middle position (see

page 2), you can lower your starting

hand requirements slightly. In addition to the top-

ranked card combinations, you can add hands with

lesser value such as A-10, K-10, Q-10, J-10, K-J, Q-J,

A-X if suited, and middle pairs (7s, 8s, and 9s).

34.Whether or not you will call a raise with

these hands from middle position will

depend on who makes the raise. If it is a rock, say

good-bye. If it is a loosey-goosey, call the raise and

see the flop. If it is a maniac, call the raise and hold

your breath!


35.In late position you can really loosen up

and call with hands such as small pairs

and suited connectors (7-6, 5-4, 8-7, etc.). Enter the

pot with this type of weak hand only if the pot has

not been raised.

36.The exception to this rule is if a loose

player raises from early position and

there is multiway action (five or more callers). What

this most likely means is that there are a bunch of

high cards out so your little ol’ 7-6 or 5-4 just might

make a straight or two pair. (Careful if you flop one

pair and overcards.)

37.Don’t make the mistake so many begin-

ners make; you get bored, see an ace,

and think—power! One ace is not a powerhouse. It’s

okay to play any ace suited in late position, but your

goal is a nut flush, not an ace! If your small kicker

flops, that’s okay; but if an ace comes…be careful!

You could have kicker problems.

38.To further drive home this point, let’s say

you are playing at a full table and have

an ace-little. You are in late position and all ten

players enter the pot. One of the other nine players

will have an ace 75 percent of the time. To reiterate,

be careful with that little kicker.


39.Defending your blinds—don’t! Some

players are known as blind defenders.

This is not good play. If your blind is raised, con-

sider it the price of doing business and don’t call

with anything less than a pair, an ace with a 10 or

higher, or any two paints (face cards). If the raiser is

the rock at the table, let it go.

40.On the other hand, if the bully at the

table raises your blind every time, you

need to play back at him. You can do it with any two

cards but I would rather you wait for any pair or

medium strength cards (10-9, J-9, K-J, etc.). When

he raises your blind again, don’t call him—raise

him. He may call to see the flop. You should bet the

flop no matter what it is. If the flop didn’t hit his

hand, he will be gone and you will have the satisfac-

tion not only of winning the pot, but also of punch-

ing the bully.

41.If you play in brick-and-mortar poker

rooms you eventually will encounter a

play called a live straddle. This happens when a

player under the gun puts in a raise before the cards

are dealt. Usually a player who will make this bet

wants a lot of action, feels invincible, is trying to

intimidate everyone, or is intoxicated.


42.In my professional opinion, anyone who

would make a live straddle raise is an

idiot. As a player, do not get involved in such a pot

without a strong hand with which you can reraise.

43.Another poker oddity you may encounter

is a kill game. A kill game usually doubles

the blinds if one player wins two pots in a row. There

are also half-kill games.

44.Example: If you are playing a $5-$10

game and the same player wins two pots

in a row, he is forced to make a blind bet of $20 and

the blinds for the next hand become $10-$20. The

game literally goes from $5-$10 to $10-$20. If the

same player wins a third time, it remains the kill

limit. If you find yourself in a half kill game of $10-

$20 and win two pots in a row, your blinds will then

go up to $15-$30 rather than a full kill of $20-$40.

45.You can find kill games both in brick-

and-mortar poker rooms and Internet

poker rooms. If you are not comfortable with them,

do not take a seat in a kill game. If you like the idea

of the higher limit in the lower-limit game, just to

mix it up a bit, your seat is waiting.


46.Occasionally when you are in the big or

small blind all the other players at the

table will fold, leaving only you and the big blind. If

you both agree, you can “chop” and each take back

your blind bet. Some players chop; others never

chop. It is a personal decision. However, establish

up front whether or not your tablemate will chop. If

you agree to chop one time, you should do it every

time during the session.

47.Check-raising is often considered rather

rude in a home game, but in real poker

games it is a powerful tool. Check-raising is a

method used to get more money in the pot when

you have a powerhouse of a hand.

48.Bluffing and semibluffing in low-limit

games are usually exercises in futility.

You must be playing against very good players in

order to have a bluff respected, so save this strategy

for when you step up to intermediate play and

higher limits.

49.Remember: When playing ring games or

tournament poker, it isn’t how many

pots you play, it’s how many pots you win! Speaking

of poker tournaments…


50.Poker tournaments are fun and offer

great overlays. As a beginner, play only

low buy-in tournaments until you believe that you

are ready to graduate to higher-limit buy-in tourna-

ments.

51.A great place to practice poker tourna-

ments is on the Internet. (See chapter 11.)

52.Most brick-and-mortar poker rooms

offer daily poker tournaments ranging

in price from $5 up to top of the line at the Bellagio

in Las Vegas where the price tag is a hefty $1,000

plus the $60 juice (the money the casino takes for

the house). You can often see poker superstars hon-

ing their skills there.

53.All tournaments will have the juice built

in for the house. It will start at $1 and go

higher, depending on the event. This money goes to

pay the casino’s expenses for hosting the tournament.


54.The smaller buy-in tournaments are so

popular that they will often sell out. If

you have your heart set on participating, I suggest

you arrive at least an hour early to sign up. You can

also call the casino and ask them if they expect to

sell out and if so, how early you should arrive to

assure yourself a seat. Some casinos will allow you

to make a phone reservation for a tournament seat.

55.The basics of a poker tournament are as

follows: you show up, sign up, and pay

up. You then take a seat, usually chosen at random.

56.You will start with low-limit blinds, usu-

ally $5-$10 and play this level for fifteen

or twenty minutes after which the blinds will

increase, probably to $10-$20.

57.The blinds will continue to increase and

you will have a potty break every couple

of hours. If you are in a rebuy tournament (if you go

broke you can rebuy and get more chips), the

rebuys will end after a designated amount of time,

usually the first hour, which equates to the first

three or four rounds.


62.After the early stages (the first two or

three rounds) everything changes. I

mentioned earlier how vastly differently the games

limit and no-limit hold’em are. The same holds true

for the differences in a ring game and a poker tour-

nament.

63.There are four stages to a poker tourna-

ment: the early stages, the middle

stages, the late stages, and the final table. (Yippee!

The final is your goal.)

64.As mentioned, in the early stages, play

very carefully and study your oppo-

nents. Knowing how your opponents play provides

valuable information for later in the tournament.

65.Remember this: You cannot win a poker

tournament in the first three rounds of

play, but you sure as heck can lose it. There is no

need to play fast and aggressively early on.

66.In the middle stages of the tournament,

you will need to change gears. During

these levels many players will be eliminated. You

will have to start playing more hands, always keep-

ing in mind your position and how your opponents

are playing.


67.If you are short-stacked during the late

stages of the tournament, you’re going

to have to pick a hand and make a move. The

shorter your stack, the lower your starting hand

requirements.

68.Try not to blind yourself out of a tourna-

ment. If your cards are cold and you just

can’t seem to pick up a decent starting hand, wait

for the right time and try to have enough money in

late position to raise the pot. Choose a time when

no one has entered the pot and raise with almost

any two cards, suited is better or connected (8-7 or

10-6 of the same suit and so forth).

69.Do not limp in a pot with a short stack.

If you go down, go down swinging!

70.On the other hand, if you have a big

stack, raise and try to steal the blinds as

often as the other players will let you. Lower your

starting hand requirements if a short stack raises

the pot. He is probably desperate and any ace or

any two paints is worth a call or a reraise if that will

put him all in.


71.If you have a medium stack, play cau-

tiously but be aggressive at certain

times. As my friend Professor Tom McEvoy advises,

“Play selectively aggressive.” (This also is very good

advice for ring games.)

72.When you arrive at the final table, how

you play will depend on your goals. If

you will not be happy with anything less than first

place, you’re going to have to be superaggressive

and gamble more in an effort to get all the chips.

73.If your goal as a new player is simply to

step up in the pay table as much as you

can, you will play accordingly, laying down playable

hands if there are many short stacks being gobbled

up by the monster stacks. Every player who is elim-

inated means a larger payday for you!

74.Remember two things about tourna-

ment play. No one ever won a poker

tournament without getting lucky more than once!

And remember the old adage, all you need is a chip,

a chair, and a prayer.



75.Poker is not an exact science. If it were,

the good players would always win and

the bad players would always lose, then quit and

there goes our fish! There are many variables to

each and every hand.

Limit Hold’em Tips for the Intermediate Player

76.When you go out or have people in your

home to play poker, what is your goal?

Most would answer to win or to make money. That

answer is ultimately correct but your primary goal

should be to make the right decisions because if you

make the correct decisions in poker, you will, in the

long run, win money.

77.If you’re reading the intermediate tips,

you have probably been playing limit

hold’em for a while and have confidence that you

know the ins and outs of the game.

78.But are you a winning player? Do you

play for fun or profit? Do you keep

records? Do you know whether you’re a winning or

a losing player, overall? If you don’t know, you

should.

58.If you are in a rebuy tourney, decide

before the event how many rebuys you

will allow yourself and then play accordingly. Per-

sonally, I prefer a tournament with no rebuys; that

way no one can have an advantage.

59.A poker tournament is a process of elim-

ination. When a player loses all of his

money, he leaves the table. The last soldiers left

standing win the money.

60.The payout for a tournament depends

on how many players enter the compe-

tition and the pay structure of that particular

casino. There is no absolute standard but first place

usually receives 35 to 40 percent of the prize pool

and they normally pay one place for every ten play-

ers (for example, the top twenty-five places will be

paid in a tournament with two hundred fifty

entrants).

61.Playing a poker tournament is exactly

like playing a regular game in the early

stages of the tournament. You should play a conser-

vative game and observe your opponents while

paying close attention to your position.


79.If you do not keep records and you want

to play poker for profit, now is the time

to start. Buy a pocket calendar and keep an honest

account of your wins and losses. Don’t be like the

horseplayer who came home from the track and

told his wife, “I won $1,600!” What he failed to tell

her was that his total output on bets that day was

$1,550, so his net win was only $50.

80.Your records can be as simple or as

detailed as you want. You can track

where you play, what days you play, and what time

of day you play in addition to your net for each

session.

81.You may discover after a month of record

keeping that you play your best between

10 a.m. and 3 p.m. or after dinner, at a certain poker

room, and that you seem to win more on certain

days of the week. The most important information

you need to record is that of your wins and losses.

82.If you play both live and on the Internet,

keep two sets of records. You can add

them together at the end of the year for a grand

total, but you need to know where and when you

are winning the most money. Ultimately, this is

where you will want to invest most of your poker

time, money, and energy.


83.If you believe you just aren’t disciplined

enough to keep records, then I believe

that you aren’t disciplined enough to be a winning

poker player—so there! Remember, as you study

your records, the end of a session isn’t what you’re

concerned with, or even the end of a week or a

month. The bottom line is the end of the year.

84.Your goal, of course, is to have a winning

session every time you play, but let’s get

real—that isn’t going to happen. Anyone who tells

you that he wins every time he plays is either a liar

or he played twice in his life, booked two wins, and

retired from the poker arena forever.

85.A winning poker player does not play a

lot of hands unless he is on a rush. A

good poker player will recognize a rush, play it for

all it’s worth, but also recognize when it is over.

86.You know what your starting hand

requirements are and from what position

they should be played. When you have a long dry

spell and have seen nothing but 7-2, 8-3, K-7 for

hours, you can do three things: play anything from

late position because you are bored (I do not rec-

ommend this strategy), go home and come back

another day, or continue to be patient. The cards

will turn.


87.On some days, after that dry spell and

when the cards do turn, you may find

that your good cards are getting squished. If that is

the case, you’re running bad. Now you still have

three things you can do: beat your head against the

wall, pull out more money to invest in the game (I

do not recommend either of these), or go home and

come back another day—this is the best solution.

88.After an hour or so into a session, your

tablemates, if they are paying attention

as you have, will have you pegged as a solid player,

maybe even conservative. Now is the time for a bluff

or two.

89.If you’re in a $10-$20 game, the blinds

are probably $5 and $10, or in a $15-$30,

they are likely $10 and $15. That is costing you $15

or $35 a round. Every now and then when you are

on the button or in the cutoff seat (the position one

seat to the right of the button), you will need to raise

on a bluff or a semibluff just to try to pick up the

blinds.

90.After some time at the table you should

have a feeling of how your opponents

are playing. You will know if you are playing against

blind defenders or not. So take a stab at it with a

cold bluff or a semibluff.


91.Before doing so from the cutoff seat, try

to have a read on the player on the

button. If a player is going to fold, many times you

can tell by his body language. Often, that language

practically screams, “I am going to fold,” because he

is holding his cards in a “muck position.”

92.If you have had a long dry spell, try

raising on a bluff or a semibluff with any

ace or maybe even any king or queen. Even if you

have a blind defender, your high card might be the

best hand or you could catch a good flop.

93.However, if you don’t get a good flop and

the blind check-raises you or calls your

bet, simply check the turn; or if he bets, abandon ship

and wait for another opportunity. Cut your losses.

94.Once you decide to play a hand after the

flop, you should become the aggressor

even from early position. Consider this: if you know

you will call a bet, why not take the lead and bet in

the first place? Checking is a sign of weakness;

betting or raising is a sign of strength.

95.This move helps you determine your

opponent’s strength. You can’t determine

the strength of anyone else’s hand by checking.


96.Example: You are in the big blind with a

Kª-3ª. The flop is Aª-7ª-3¨. You know

you will call a bet, so why not bet it? Even if your

opponents call, you might make a huge hand if

another heart comes. If your bet is raised, you may

be facing an ace, but your bet has gained informa-

tion for you. You then can decide whether or not

you want to proceed with this hand.

97.If it is a multiway pot, I would continue

on that great big beautiful heart flush

hunt. However, if it is heads up and someone raised,

I’d not gamble on this one. The odds are not in your

favor.

98.If you have a marginal hand that you bet

in late position on both the flop and the

turn, do not bet it again on the river. Ask yourself

these two questions, “If he calls, will I lose?” and “If

he raises, can I call? ” If the answer is yes to the first

question and no to the second, then just check.

99.Take advantage of tight players in the

blind and raise often from late position.

However, don’t do it every time—you will lose your

credibility.


100.Don’t even think about bluffing a

calling station (one who calls bets

all the time with or without a good hand or the

potential for a good hand) or inexperienced players

who are playing higher limit games because they

can. I was in a $15-$30 game one time when a bad

player made a bad call on the turn and caught his

two-outer (only two cards in the deck that can make

the hand a winner) on the river. His opponent

snarled, “How could you make that call on the

turn?” To which the inexperienced player replied,

“Because I’m rich!”

101.The time to semibluff is when your

hand probably is not strong enough

to win the pot on the flop but could improve by the

turn or the river. This means you have outs. If you

bet, the other players may fold, they may give you a

free card on the turn, or—in a perfect scenario—

you may actually make the hand you have been

representing.

102.Some examples of semibluffing: You

are holding the A©-4©. The flop

brings J©-4¨-6©. You have flopped bottom pair and

the nut-flush draw. If there is four-way action, you

are in late position, and it is bet, raise it. If it is

checked, bet it. If you are in early to middle position,

bet it.


103.Most semibluff situations arise

when you have a straight or a flush

draw. Another example: You are holding the J©-10«.

The flop is K¨-Q«-3ª. You have an open-end

straight draw; unless there is a lot of raising and

reraising in front of you, go for the semibluff.

104.Be aware that other good players

will also be bluffing and semibluff-

ing. If you believe that is the case, act accordingly.

Remember to give even less credibility to a bully.

There is nothing sweeter (besides maybe winning a

major tournament) than having the table bully feel-

ing completely confident in his efforts to run over

the table until you pick up a big hand and trap the

pest.

105.Even without a big hand, if you have

a bully at the table and he is on the

button when you have the big blind, he probably is

stealing from you far too often. Now is the time to

defend your big blind with a marginal hand (two

paints, a small pair, or ace-X). Defend with a reraise.

He will probably fold, but if he doesn’t, then either

bet the flop or check-raise.


106.If you are on a drawing hand, a

straight, or a flush, you want more

players in the pot to make it worthwhile to invest in

your draw. This comes under the heading of pot

odds and outs, which will be discussed in the sec-

tion for advanced players.

107.On the other hand, if you have top

pair, you want to try to limit the

number of players. If you don’t try to limit the play-

ers, one of them may be on a draw and make it.

108.Big pairs hold up much better with

fewer players in the pot. Heads-up is

preferable.

109.Generally, play a conservative and

controlled game but on occasion

mix up your play. You don’t want to be predictable.

Good players will notice and hesitate when trying to

read how you play.

110.Example: Play big pairs in early

position with a raise 75 percent of

the time. Just call the other 25 percent. But if some-

body in late position raises, jump back at him with

a reraise.


111.The 1995 World Poker Champion,

Dan Harrington, has a terrific for-

mula for knowing when to raise with a big pair and

when to just call. This formula is based on raising 80

percent of the time. Look at your watch. Since 80

percent of 60 is 48, if the second hand is between 0

and 48, raise. If it is between 48 and 60, just call. You

can read more in his book Harrington on Hold’em.

112.Playing overcards can be costly if

you don’t hit on the flop. Players

who check and call with overcards to smaller cards

on the board are not winning players.

113.If one of your overcards does hit on

the flop, good for you, unless there is

a straight or a flush possibility—then you shouldn’t

like it so much. Tread lightly.

114.A tight player who begins to play

overly aggressive should set off an

alarm in your head. Remember, a baby set will

crush your big strong overpair (a pair of high cards

either in your hand or one in your hand and one on

the board).


115.Ace-king and ace-queen are over-

rated. Many people will play these

cards as if they are aces, kings, or queens. The fact of

the matter is a baby pair can beat them.

116.If you have big slick and raise from

any position, be careful if you don’t

catch either of your cards on the flop, especially if a

rock is staying with you. If that is the case, I would

check, and if he bets, fold.

117.If you are in early position with A-K

against just one or two players, bet

the flop to gain information. If you are raised, fold.

If you are called and don’t catch on the turn, check.

118.Keep in mind that ace-king and ace-

queen are just two big cards unless

you pair. You will hit that pair about 29 percent of

the time.

119.Get all the money in the pot you can

with your big hands. There will be

times you don’t want to run the other players off.


120.Example: You are holding K«-Jª.

The flop is Kª-J¨-7©. You have

flopped the top two pair. If there was no preflop

raise, you should feel very confident with this hand,

so either check-call from early position against one

player, saving the check-raise for the turn when the

bet doubles, or check-raise if it is a multiway pot. If

it is bet or raised before you, you should reraise.

121.There is always an exception in

every hand of poker. Using the

above example, the rule would be: If a rock is swing-

ing hard punches, beware of a set of 7s. In other

words, anytime an extremely tight player is playing

overly aggressive, beware of him having a set or any

hand that can beat you. Play back at him only if you

have the nuts.

122.If you flop the bottom two pair, you

probably have a good hand unless

there is a straight or a flush possibility. Bet

accordingly.


123.Example: You are in late position

with 9©-8©. The flop is A©-9«-8¨. If

someone bets, raise. If they check, bet. If there is an

ace-rag or an ace-big against you, you don’t want

him drawing to his kicker nor do you want someone

drawing to a straight.

124.If you have a straight draw or a flush

draw and make your hand on the

turn, good for you, bet accordingly. However, if the

board pairs, beware!

125.Anytime the board pairs you must

consider the possibility that some-

one else has a full house. They even could have

quads. Your hand just went from “yippee, I’ve got

the nuts” to “proceed with caution.”

126.Most of the time you will call a bet in

front of you if you were going to bet

it anyway. That does not mean you would call a

raise. It depends on who makes the raise and the

strength of your hand.


127.There is a win-rate formula that a

good hold’em player should win at

least one big bet an hour. If you’re playing $5-$10,

that isn’t a decent wage, so I hope you’re just playing

for fun. If you’re playing $30-$60, $60 an hour isn’t

too shabby, depending on how many hours you are

able to play.

128.If you want to make the big bucks

for your limit hold’em efforts for an

investment of $50, $100, $500, or more, tournament

poker is the way to go. So now for some tournament

tips.

129.It takes money to make money in

the real world or in the poker world.

However, the overlay in poker tournaments (major

or minor) can be breathtaking—even life changing.

With some skill, some luck, lots of stamina, and

patience, you too can learn to score in poker tour-

naments.

130.If you believe that the way to win a

major poker tournament is to play

the way you have seen the finalists play on TV, you

couldn’t be more wrong. Keep in mind that the TV

poker contests you watch began the competition

days earlier with hundreds, if not thousands, of

entrants.


131.They have played anywhere from

twenty-four to forty hours over a

period of days to arrive at that coveted final table.

During those tedious hours of competing, the strat-

egy of play has metamorphosed over and over

again. This is called changing gears and is one of the

biggest differences in ring games and tournament

play.

132.During those three or four days of

play, they have survived through fif-

teen to twenty rounds of play. The rounds last any-

where from one to two hours and the blinds

increase with each round.

133.If you believe that if you are a good

limit hold’em player you will auto-

matically be a good hold’em tournament player,

you are way off base. Becoming a winning tourna-

ment player requires a strategy all its own.

134.After studying the following tips and

giving tournament competition a

try, you will probably love it or hate it. You must

have stamina, patience, guts, and heart to compete

properly in tournaments. The strategies I am going

to share with you can be used in small buy-in tour-

neys or huge ones.


135.I can’t say enough about having

patience in a poker tournament.

You cannot win a tournament in the beginning

stages, but you sure as heck can lose it! The first two

or three rounds are the time to wait for only good

starting hands and watch your opponents. Study

them and play very few hands. The hands you select

to play should be big hands, which you should win;

however, if you lose them, never, ever give up.

136.Your goal for the beginning stages of

the tournament is to win a few

hands per level and study your opponents. Now you

are ready for the middle stages, which include

rounds five through eight.

137.The field begins to narrow in the

middle stage of a tournament. You

should change gears and begin to play more hands.

138.The limits are higher and it is now

worth a slight risk to get the blinds

from the middle of the table to your slowly building

empire, especially if you can pick up another bet or

two along with them. If you know a player has been

doing a lot of limping to see the flop but will fold if

the pot is raised, you should raise and try to steal

the blinds and the limper’s bet at the right time

when you are in late position.


139.After the flop you will know what

the nuts or second nuts can be.

There will be times to represent a hand that you do

not have.

140.For example, you are holding an A©-

10¨. The flop brings three dia-

monds. The nuts is an ace-high diamond flush. You

do not have that hand but you can sure represent it.

You have that beautiful ace of diamonds, therefore

nobody else can have the nuts. If a loosey-goosey

bets, raise to slow him down and give yourself an

inexpensive opportunity to make your nut flush or

catch an ace for top pair. If a rock bets, raise; he may

fold even if he has a flush. Now is the time to play

your players as well as your holdings.

141.The poor to average players will play

basically the same way as they go

through a tournament until they are eliminated. As

they are eliminated—and many will be in the mid-

dle stages because their chips will be finding a new

home in your chip stack—new players will take

their seats or your table will break as the tourna-

ment directors fill empty seats. When this happens,

change gears again and go back to the early stage

strategy until you familiarize yourself with your new

opponents.


142.When you believe you have them

pegged, play them accordingly. For

example, in limit hold’em don’t go up against the

table maniac unless you have a powerhouse, and

then let him self-destruct.

143.If you’re first to act and flop two pair

or better, and you know your oppo-

nent will bet into any check, you should check-call.

Don’t raise until the bet doubles on the turn. If he is

first to act and bets into you and you believe you

have the best of it, don’t raise because you don’t

want to lose him. Maximize your big opportunities.

144.Realistically, you don’t have to win a

lot of hands as you proceed through

the middle stages because the pots are getting big-

ger and bigger with every level increase. The secret

is winning your fair share and not losing pots or get-

ting involved in hands that could ultimately cost

you a big portion of your hard-earned chips.

145.Know when to get away from a hand

and know how to make the most of

a monster hand. Sadly, there will be times when the

best play is to lay down a monster hand.


146.Example: You have two beautiful

aces. It was called from two posi-

tions and raised from middle position. You, of

course, will reraise because you want to get it

heads-up and that is exactly what happens.

147.So far so good, everything is going

according to plan. But wait! The flop

comes Q-Q-7. If he check-raises you or even check-

calls, a big red flag should go up. If he is a solid

player, he knows you have a big hand because of

your preflop reraise, and he is hanging around with

a big hand. Now is the time—it is so difficult—but

you must fold. This is called making a big laydown.

It takes an excellent player to be able to do this.

148.The famous granddaddy of all poker

greats, Doyle Brunson, tells a story

of laying down pocket kings preflop in a major tour-

nament. The reason? He had just won a huge pot

and knew that his stack of chips could take him far

in the tournament. If he called what was a hefty bet

and lost, he would be struggling to rebuild. Rather

than take the chance of losing to an ace, he made

the difficult decision to fold his kings. (Good move.

Are you a poker player? Could you do the same?)


149.When you enter the late stages of a

tournament you will be among the

remaining 20 to 25 percent of the original field.

Players will be dropping like flies and you will

almost smell the money because you will be getting

close to a payday. You had to play well to get to this

point, so stay focused.

150.Late in a tourney, when players are

focusing on making the money,

many will tighten up their play. This is a good

opportunity to pick up the blinds (which will be

huge by now).

151.Do your best to avoid a confronta-

tion with another big stack but it is

okay to go against a short stack, even with a mar-

ginal hand. Never ever leave a short stack with even

one chip in front of him. If you have a playable

hand, put him all in. Even if a short stack draws out

on you, he cannot hurt you too badly, and if all goes

well, you will eliminate him and be one step closer

to the money.

152.If you are in middle-chip position

late in a tourney, wait for a good

hand but try to steal the antes or blinds at least once

a round just to stay even. If you are at a conservative

table you may be able to steal more.


153.If you find yourself short-stacked,

don’t panic, just change gears. Your

starting hand requirements must be lowered.

154.If you survive the late stages of the

tournament, good for you! You are

either in the money or very near the money. Stay

focused, be patient, and bluff when you can.

155.If you are the short stack at your

final table, you are going to need to

take a stand soon. However, if there is another short

stack that will be hit with their blinds before you,

wait. If they go belly up, you’ll move up a notch in

the standings. In a major tournament this could

mean thousands of dollars.

156.If you start final table play in

medium chip position, wait for

decent starting hands unless a short stack makes

his stand and you have average cards. Remember,

he is desperate so it is worth your risk and he can-

not bust you.

157.Do your best to stay away from the

big stacks. They can bust you. You

must be selective about who you will go up against.


158.As the final table field is eliminated,

everyone will appear to be playing

faster because fewer players are dealt in and each

hand takes less time to play. If you’re staying

focused, playing by the book (this book!), and get-

ting lucky, you just might find yourself heads-up!

159.When you get to heads-up play you

cannot show weakness. You will

have to defend your blinds with almost any two

cards. After all, any two cards can flop. I have won

many more heads-up competitions flopping good

to a bad hand than trapping with a good hand.

160.Vary your play but retain the aggres-

sive, unafraid attitude. Limp often

enough so that when you have a monster hand you

can limp without making your opponent overly

suspicious.


161.After you win, don’t forget to tip the

dealers—2.5 percent to 5 percent of

your winnings is considered reasonable. All estab-

lishments take juice and some pay the dealers a per-

centage of the juice. It is okay to ask what percentage

if any the dealers have already gotten and then do

the math. Be sure to deduct your buy-in and then

calculate how much the proper tip would be. If you

are a generous person, 10 percent would be consid-

ered Christmas for the dealers! Any more and they

go home talking about you and blessing you.

162.Good energy from a bunch of happy

dealers never hurt anybody! There

are many dealers who root (on the inside) for cer-

tain players to win a tournament because those

players are so generous. Other players get reverse

sweat (negative energy) from the dealers because

they are stiffs (never leave a tip).

163.Whatever you decide to tip is divided

among dealers and floorpeople who

worked your tournament. If there is a special dealer

or two who seemed to deal you winners over and

over, it is okay to seek them out and press a little

something extra into their palm. Do so discreetly.

This also is a nice gesture to any floorpeople who

have gone out of their way to be nice to you.


Limit Hold’em Tips for the Advanced Player

164.So you’re the advanced player.

You’re the best in your home poker

club? You’re the best poker player in your home-

town? You’re so good you’re about ready to turn pro?

Here’s the best tip I will be giving you in the entirety

of this book: DON’T!

165.I have seen it happen over and over

again. The best hometown poker

player decides to take a shot at the big leagues. He

moves to Las Vegas with his pocket bulging with his

life savings. In a year or so, he is busted and

disgusted.

166.Absolutely come to Las Vegas for

the experience. Have a wonderful

poker-filled visit and then go home if that is where

you win continually. Keep in mind that the best

poker players in the world are in Las Vegas.


167.Come, if you must, with your sav-

ings and stars in your eyes but—and

here is the second best tip I am going to give you—

get a real job in addition to chasing that green-felt

dream. At the very least, get a real part-time job, just

in case of emergencies—like bad luck causing you

to go belly up at the poker table.

168.Whether you’re chasing a dream in

Las Vegas or beating your home

games, you absolutely must have good money

management. And you must have some money to

manage, hence the job.

169.I advocate a stop-loss on your wins

as well as your losses. If you’re on a

good win, say $900 in a $15-$30 game, put a stop-

loss at about $750. Seventy-five percent of your win

is a good measure to go by, or get as close as you can

come.

170.In other words, if you’re sitting on a

$1,000 win and get involved in a

monster pot that you lose on the river—along with

$400 of your winnings—go home! If you chase a big-

ger win, you could get up a small loser rather than a

big winner.


171.Have a stop-loss on any losses that

you are comfortable with but be

reasonable. Don’t put yourself in a position of losing

so much that it would take three winning sessions

to make it up. A good rule of thumb is to put your

stop-loss at approximately what you might expect

to make up in one session.

172.Many top pros are former mathe-

maticians, accountants, and CPAs,

while some actually have a photographic memory.

As we discuss pot odds, outs, and implied pot odds,

you will understand why.

173.The poker player who understands

pot odds and implied pot odds will

have a definite advantage at the poker table. Pot

odds refer to the relationship between the current

pot and the current bet. Implied pot odds are your

best guess as to what will be in the pot when the

betting is finished. Often the pot odds will not jus-

tify a call, but when the implied pot odds are con-

sidered, a call may be the correct play.


174.In order to calculate your pot odds,

you need to determine (your best

guesstimate) the number of “outs” you have (the

number of cards left in the deck that will make your

hand a winning hand). The payoff if you win the pot

compared to the odds against you winning deter-

mines if it is a good bet.

175.Simplistically, the fewer outs you

have, the bigger the pot has to be in

order for you to call a bet. The more outs you have,

the easier it gets to call a bet. In other words, how

much is in the pot and how much may be in the pot

when the betting is done (implied pot odds) versus

how much it will cost you to play should determine

your next moves.

176.Example: Let’s say you flop a nut-

flush draw. There are thirteen cards

of each suit. You have two and there are two on the

board. I always guesstimate that two more of my

suit are in other player’s hands or in the muck, so

that leaves seven cards in the deck that will make

your hand. Divide seven into the cards remaining in

the deck (forty-five) to get 6.4. This means that it is

6 to 1 against you making your hand. To have the

pot odds you need, the pot needs to be six times (or

more) what it will cost you to call a bet and try to

make your hand. (This guesstimate includes your

implied pot odds.)


177.To complicate things a bit further, if

you are holding an ace and you

believe that if an ace comes it also will give you the

winning hand, you can add three more cards to

your calculations. Now there are ten cards (instead

of just seven) that will make your hand. Divide ten

into the remaining forty-two cards and your odds

are closer to 4-to-1. That’s better.

178.Many professional players do the

math (in an instant) and know

whether they have good pot odds. They are analytical

players.

179.Other players, myself included, look

at our approximate outs versus the

size of the pot versus what we think the players yet

to act will do, and then decide if we believe we

should gamble and try to make our hand. We are

called intuitive players.

180.We, who are not human calculators,

use our intuition or our best guess

to determine if a call is worth the risk. It’s quite sim-

ple, actually. Just ask yourself if the pot is big and if

it will get bigger versus how much investment it will

take to draw to your hand. Then make the decision

on whether or not to gamble on the next card.


181.There are two reasons to raise

before the flop: to get more money

in the pot because you think you have the best

hand, or to narrow the field. If the pot has been

raised when you are trying to narrow the field so

your big pair or big slick will hold up, reraise.

182.There are three reasons to raise after

the flop: to bluff because you don’t

think anybody made a hand, to get a free card, or to

gain information. If you believe you still have the

best hand after the flop, you again will want to raise

or reraise.

183.On the opposite end of that spec-

trum is the concept of slow-playing.

Some hands are just too big to bet. It’s a smart move

to play a strong hand weakly to keep as many play-

ers in the pot as possible, thus building the pot.

184.Your goal with slow-playing, in addi-

tion to building the pot, is to give

your opponent the opportunity to make a big hand

also. If you have the nuts and he has the second

nuts—beautiful! Mission accomplished. Your pot

will be huge.


185.As an advanced player, bluffing

should be in your repertoire, but use

it sparingly. Anyone who raises too many pots is

labeled a bully. You want to set yourself up as a solid

player so that your bluffs will be respected.

186.The most successful bluffs or semi-

bluffs are those made by solid play-

ers. The reason is that the majority of the times

that there is a showdown, the solid player shows a

winning hand, so other players expect it of him.

Therefore, when he does bluff or semibluff

another good player, that player will have to have a

big hand to call.

187.Never forget: you cannot bluff a bad

player. They just don’t get it. Save

your bluffs for the more sophisticated opponent.

188.My personal favorite is the semi-

bluff. You may win the pot then and

there or you may get action and then improve your

hand to become the legitimate winner.

189.I especially like to semibluff from

the big blind if there is a bully on the

button. Usually you can win it before the flop.


190.Bad beats and bad luck are often

synonymous. An advanced poker

player must take his beats like a man—not a cry-

baby, a real man (or woman!).

191.I’m not saying you need to pat the

table and say, “Nice hand,” to some

knucklehead who just played a two-outer against

your pocket kings and made it. I am saying don’t

fuss and cuss and stew over it. This will hurt no one

but you, and frankly, no one wants to hear it.

192.An old joke in the poker world goes

like this:

Q: Do you know the difference between a puppy

and a losing poker player?

A: The puppy will eventually stop whining!

193.An advanced player knows how to

let it go almost immediately and

look forward, not back. The good part is that the

knucklehead will continue to play badly, so look at

your loss simply as an investment, which he is hold-

ing and will return to you with great interest.


194.The fact is, hold’em is more than

just a card game. Whenever you’re

dealing with people, you are dealing with psycho-

logical influences. Not only theirs but also yours.

195.You must have terrific control over

your emotions, not only to play your

best game but also so as not to give off any tells. If

you think you have lost that control, then it’s time to

stop and play another day, or at the very least take a

walk and cool down.

196.Just as a bad player can get lucky, a

good player can get unlucky. As a

good player, you should always have a positive

expectation when you enter a game. However, if you

have been playing poker regularly for a year or more,

you have experienced one of those horrid freaks of

poker nature called a losing streak. It can wreak

psychological havoc on even the best of players.

197.The solution: take a good, long look

at your game. Have you changed

anything? Are you trying to make something good

happen by playing too many hands? You know that

isn’t going to work. Take a break, a long break, and

every time you start a new game, play your best.

Eventually it will stop, I promise—as long as you’re

doing your part by playing your A-game all the time.


198.As Bill Burton, poker player extraor-

dinaire and poker author, says,

“Luck comes and goes. Knowledge stays forever.”

Bad players depend on luck; you can depend on

your knowledge.

199.The flip side of that coin is that you

too will get lucky and beat the best

hand many times in your poker career. The adage in

tournament poker is that if you win an event, you

will have gotten lucky at least five times; the longer

the competition, the more times you will have got-

ten lucky. You must combine this with good play.

Poker tournament expert Tom McEvoy says, “You

must be a skillful poker player in tournaments in

order to put yourself in a position to get lucky.”

200.Know your opponents but don’t let

them know you. Study their play,

have a feel for what they are doing and why. How-

ever, don’t let them figure you out. Play a solid

game, but not a predictable one. Mix your play up

just enough to keep them guessing.

201.Example: Don’t always raise with

your big hands up front. Don’t

always reraise with them in late position. Call a raise

occasionally with suited connectors. Surprise them

with your holdings. Don’t be predictable.


202.Play in your comfort zone. If you

were a winning $10-$20 player who

stepped up to a $15-$30 limit and did well for a cou-

ple months, you might decide to go up another level

to $20-$40. Let’s say at that level things changed for

you and you stopped winning. Whatever the reason,

if you are not comfortable in one level, don’t be

embarrassed to step back down. You want to play

where you win the most. For some that is $15-$30;

for others it may be $100-$200. It’s your money and

your choice.

203.Some good players believe that the

higher the level they can afford to

play, the more money they can win. That isn’t

always true. If you win more pots in $10-$20 versus

winning approximately an equal number of pots in

$30-$60 but you also are losing more, you have

accomplished an investment reversal.

204.Don’t call on the river when your

gut says no. Have the discipline to

make those difficult laydowns. Listen to yourself.


205.Example: You hold Aª-A¨. Of

course that is the perfect starting

hand, but not always the perfect ending hand. You

raise from middle position. A calling station calls

you plus you get a call from the big blind. The flop

comes 10ª-J«-3«. The big blind checks. You bet

and both of them call. The turn is A«. (You have a

beautiful set, but did that ace make a straight for

someone or a spade flush?) The big blind checks.

You bet and the calling station raises. Could he have

a K-Q? Of course he could even though you don’t

want him to, and to make matters worse, the blind

calls his raise. You need to fill up or move out. The

river is the 7«. The big blind checks. You check. The

calling station bets. The big blind raises. Now what?

This one isn’t even a difficult decision. In all likeli-

hood you are up against a straight and a flush! At the

very least one of them has your set of aces beat.

Time to make a big laydown.

206. Another example: You are hold-

ing K«-Q« and the flop brings

Kª-Q-ª-3ª. Initially I would like this hand…but

wait. You are in late position, thinking about

those chips coming to you when there is a bet and

a raise before the action gets to you. There cer-

tainly can be a flush out there, a flush draw, a

straight draw, or a set to beat you.


207.Whether or not you pay the price to

see the turn will depend on who

bet. If it is a rock betting or raising, I would not.

However, if the player betting or raising would do so

on the come, then give it a call. If the turn is a heart

or a 10, you should fold to any bet; if it is a blank the

same advice holds true for the river. Sometimes you

have to tiptoe through the minefield.

208.The movie star Mimi Rogers is a

poker player. She once told me that

the hardest poker lesson she ever learned was that

your aces and kings can be beaten. “Always think

about that set that could be out there,” she said. “I

learned the hard way!”

209.Now let’s talk about the limit

hold’em game played in poker

tournaments. Go back to the intermediate, even the

beginner tips for tournament play and then we’ll

add a few advanced plays for your portfolio.

210.Into the later rounds of the tourna-

ment, your chip count will deter-

mine what gear you need to shift to. As you near the

money, you should constantly be aware not only of

your chip count but also that of your opponents,

including those at the other remaining tables.


211.At these levels the antes and blinds

are going to be so expensive that

you won’t have the luxury of waiting for those pre-

mium hands unless you have a substantial chip

lead. You’re going to have to pick various favorable

spots and then hold your breath and jump in.

212.You will see many lucky flops or

lucky drawouts during a tourna-

ment, especially in the later stages. This is part of

the game. You too will be making some of these

lucky draws (hopefully).

213.Most major tournaments will have

a viewable time clock to let you

know how much time is left in each round. This is

very important information.

214.If there is not a time clock in your

line of view, have one with you. You

can get small timers at any store that carries small

appliances or kitchen aids.

215.Watch the time, especially if your

chips are dwindling. You will want

to make a move before a structure increase.


216.Let’s say you are playing $3,000-

$6,000. You have $25,000 in front of

you. The next level will be $4,000-$8,000. With your

$25,000, a preflop raise at the $3,000-$6,000 limit

will leave you with $19,000 to work with after the

flop. If you wait and the next level increase comes

into effect, your preflop raise to $16,000 leaves you

only with $9,000 after the flop. It is much more likely

that you will be called. Make your move early when

your chips can still be threatening.

217.When you get to heads-up (con-

gratulations!) you cannot be the

least bit passive. You must take the lead with aggres-

sion. Any paint or ace is worth a preflop raise or

reraise.

218.However, do not raise every time.

Do mix in a call now and then. That

way, when you pick up a big pair or big slick, you

can have the opportunity to trap your opponent.

219.Most tournament directors will

allow deal-making. If you and your

opponent are almost equal in chips, a deal might be

a good idea—even if you believe you are the supe-

rior player—because the blinds will be so big that

just a little bit of bad luck could land you in second

place rather than first.


220.The way I like to make a deal if the

chips are relatively evenly distrib-

uted is to divide about 80 to 90 percent of the

money (first and second place combined) and then

play for the remaining 10 or 20 percent, the title,

and the bragging rights.

221.Deals also can be made with three,

four, five, six or more players

remaining. The deciding factor is that everyone

must agree. Most of the time the director will stop

the clock to allow for negotiations and will have a

calculator if needed. They may even do the math for

you.

222.Whenever any deal is made, notify

the tournament director. This is just

for insurance and he will be sure that everyone

agrees and that everyone understands what he or

she is agreeing on.


223.After winning, don’t forget to tip.

Many casinos and cardrooms will

have a percentage added in for the dealers and

other tournament employees. Ask what that

amount is and then add what you are comfortable

with. If it is a small buy-in tourney, a total of 7 to 10

percent is greatly appreciated. If you win a major

tournament, 2 to 5 percent is good! See the sugges-

tions on the tip amount in this chapter under “Tips

for the Intermediate.”

Now go forth and multiply those chips. Just

remember, when you believe that you are good

enough to turn pro, have a real job for backup!


Not too many years ago, no-limit Texas hold’em was

the big game played in the biggest poker tournament

in the world, the World Series of Poker. That was

about the extent of the game’s popularity. Back then

no-limit games were scarce except for big private

games or at big poker tournaments in general, the

World Series of Poker in particular. No-limit was a

poker game most players feared. Only the best com-

petitors with the most money played. Years ago, in

1978 to be precise, Doyle Brunson coined the phase,

“No-limit hold’em is the Cadillac of poker games.” In

1978 a Cadillac was the premier, top-of-the-line

No-Limit TexasHold’em

2.

automobile. Brunson felt that way about the game of

no-limit. Poker just doesn’t get any better.

In the early seventies and eighties, the world

champions would make appearances on national

television shows but actual coverage of poker on TV

didn’t begin until years later and even at that, the

game lacked excitement for viewers. The only folks

with a real interest were the friends and loved ones

of the participants.

In the late eighties, a few poker rooms in Las

Vegas started hosting a few inexpensive weekly no-

limit tournaments, just for fun. They were popular

as were the usual games of limit hold’em, Omaha,

and seven-card stud. Time has a way of changing

things and things have certainly changed, especially

in the world of poker. No-limit hold’em has captured

the imagination of the world, far surpassing other

games in popularity.

The explosion of interest in no-limit poker began

in 2002 when the World Poker Tour aired its first

season. The secret formula was the tiny “lipstick”

cameras built into the poker table so the audience

could see the players’ holdings. Suddenly, it was fun

and exciting to watch, and it became a spectator

sport.

Today no-limit hold’em is one of the most

popular games available, and it is the most mis-

played game, all because TV allowed novices to get

a fuller picture of the game being played without

the all-important understanding of why profes-

sional players play the way they do. But read on, pay

attention, study, and you will learn how to properly


NO-LIMIT TEXAS HOLD’EM 85

play this fascinating game that can literally change

your life.

To reiterate, the basics of the games of limit

hold’em and no-limit hold’em are the same. Two

cards are dealt to each player beginning with the

player to the right of the button (see table layout on

page 2), followed by a round of betting, the flop,

followed by a round of betting, the turn, followed by

a round of betting, and last and possibly most

importantly, the river, followed by a round of betting,

and then the showdown to determine the winner.

The similarities of the two games stop there.

Although the basics of no-limit hold’em are easy

to learn, the game is the most complicated version

of poker to play successfully. If you pay attention,

follow the instructions in this book, and practice,

practice, practice, you too can become a winning

no-limit player.

No-Limit Hold’em Tips for the Beginner

224.My friend Chris Ferguson, the 2000

World Poker Champion, known to

many as Jesus (because of his appearance), says this

about playing poker, “You must love the game. Take

your time and move up slowly. Playing poker can be

a humbling experience; you learn real fast how to

deal with failure. It’s what you do with that failure

that determines your future success.”

225.Never, ever play with money you

cannot afford to lose, especially

while you are learning. Whatever you take to the

poker table you should expect to double or more;

however, just in case of a reversal in luck, before

plopping money down to buy poker chips, ask your-

self this question, “Can I afford to flush this money

down the toilet?”

226.The basic and most obvious differ-

ence in limit and no-limit is how

much you can bet. In limit games, you can bet

according to the structure you are playing, for

example $5-$10 or $30-$60. In no-limit you can bet

any amount up to the amount you have in front of

you.

227.I cannot stress enough how impor-

tant it is to know your players. An

unusually small raise from a good player should

send up a warning flag—he wants a call—don’t

cooperate!

228.In limit hold’em you can make a

mistake and survive. In no-limit, if

you make one mistake you could be dead and gone

(at least for that day or that tournament).


229.Don’t be a calling station. There are

players who seldom bet or raise, all

they ever do if they are going to enter a pot is call.

There is nothing wrong with calling occasionally,

and sometimes it is the proper play, but if you

always enter a pot with a call, you will never be a big

winner. Calling is not aggressive, and aggression is

important, especially in no-limit. Of course, you

should always be selectively aggressive.

230.A very important factor in limit or

no-limit is being able to read the

board. When you are not involved in a hand, prac-

tice reading the board.

231.Example: The flop is K¨-4©-3¨.

What is the best possible hand? At

this point it is a set of kings. The turn is a 5ª. Now

the best possible hand is a seven high straight. The

river is a 10¨. Now everything has changed and the

nut hand is an ace-high flush!


232.Example: The flop is Q©-J¨-4ª.

What is the best possible hand? It is

three queens. The turn brings a 2©. The best hand

remains three queens. The river changes everything

because it is a 4¨. Now the best hand is quads. If

there is someone with pocket queens, that person

just made a full house for the second nut. If another

player has pocket 4s, the full house is in big trouble.

233.What you should ask yourself in a

game of no-limit is how much

should I bet, rather than how much can I bet. The

biggest mistake I see with new no-limit players is

how they overbet or underbet the pot.

234.Do not just pick up a stack of chips

and splash them in the pot. Think!

“How much should I bet?” Your goal should be to

maximize your wins but minimize your losses. This

takes some thought.

235.Example: You have pocket aces

under the gun. Now why on earth

would you make a huge bet, run off all your cus-

tomers, and pick up only the blinds?


236.You do not want to waste the prof-

itability of your big hands because

these hands normally are rare. Your goal should be

to get one or two callers. Raise approximately three

times the big blind. If someone raises you, reraise

about the size of the pot.

237.If you pick up a big hand in late

position and the pot has already

been raised, just call if you believe you will be

heads-up. Should you flop a monster like trip aces

just check-call for more profit and then raise on the

turn.

238.Example: You have pocket 6s in the

cutoff seat. Three players have

limped into the pot. Just call; do not raise. If the flop

does not have a 6, you’re finished with it. Even if the

flop is all baby cards, do not call a bet. Minimize

your losses.

239.Pairs from deuces to 10s should be

played for as little investment as

possible preflop. I wouldn’t even play deuces

through 6s from early position if there has been a lot

of action at the table. If you are at a conservative

table, go ahead and limp to see the flop, and then

remember: no set, no bet.


240.Never play ace-little (ace with a

card less than an 8) suited or

unsuited in front position. If you bet and someone

behind you raises, you’re between a rock and a hard

place. If they have an ace, their kicker is probably

bigger than yours. If you check and he bets, you

have the same dilemma.

241.It is okay to play ace-x (ace-little)

suited in late position if the pot has

not been raised. With everyone acting before it is

your turn, you have more information. If an ace

flops and it is checked to you, your ace is probably

good, but if it is check-raised, minimize your losses.

242.However, if there is a big bet you

can get away from the hand with a

minimal investment. If the flop brings two of your

suit, you can decide whether or not to take the

fourth card by the action in front of you. If checked,

good, you get a free card. If bet, it will depend on the

amount of the bet for you to make your decision

whether to call or fold.

243.Calling a bet with a drawing hand, a

flush draw, or a straight draw also

depends on pot odds. (We will get into pot odds in

the advanced study of this game.)


244.You can win pots much more often

before the flop in no-limit hold’em

than in limit hold’em. In limit, if a player in middle

position has a big hand and raises and you have a

big hand and reraise, he will call to see the flop. In

no-limit you can raise enough to make him fold and

possibly not see the flop that would have turned

into a winner for him.

245.Remember, if you bet, raise, or

reraise and do not get a caller, you

cannot lose the pot. That is a fine scenario if you

have medium to weak holdings or if you’re on a

draw. There will be times that you do want a caller,

so bet or check accordingly.

246.Example: You are on the button

with pocket queens. The blinds are

$2-$4 and a player from middle position puts in an

$8 raise. In limit you could reraise only to $12 and in

all likelihood you would get a call; but in no-limit

you can make it $35 to go. Unless your opponent

has aces or kings or is a yahoo, he is going to fold

and you will pick up the blinds plus his $8. This is

called protecting your hand.


247.You will have to fold many hands

from early position in no-limit as a

general rule, but you can raise with these very

hands from late position when no one has opened

the pot. Example: K-10, Q-J, A-X, K-J, J-10.

248.Drawing to make a hand in no-limit

is very different from drawing to the

same hands in limit. In limit you would rarely fold a

four straight or a four flush, especially if your draw

is to the nuts. But in no-limit drawing could cost

you all of your chips.

249.The time to consider such draws in

no-limit is in multiway pots where

you can draw relatively inexpensively—but only if

you are drawing to the nuts. It’s even sweeter when

you are drawing to the nuts and also have a pair.

250.Example: You are in late position

with a J-10. The flop comes K-Q-4,

rainbow (different suits.) You are drawing to an ace

for the nut straight or to a 9. The turn brings a 10 so

now you have a pair and a good draw. The odds

have turned more and more in your favor.


251.In no-limit do not commit half your

chips to the pot unless you are will-

ing to go all the way and commit all of your chips. In

other words, don’t overbet your hand.

252.Example: You have $80 in front of

you. You are in middle position with

an A-Q; you raise the opening bet to $10. If someone

raises to $45, do not call unless you are willing to

invest your full $80. If you are willing, then reraise

all in. I don’t recommend this with an A-Q.

253.Try to never go all in on a call. You

want to be the one putting on the

pressure. If you go all in, it should be your bet, raise,

or a reraise.

254.This is a perfect example of how

important it is to know your play-

ers. If the player who raised you is a rock, you know

you must fold. If he is a bully you might decide to

reraise.

255.When considering whether or not

to enter the pot from early to mid-

dle position, ask yourself a question, “If this pot is

raised, can I call the raise?” If the answer is no, then

do not enter the pot in the first place.


256.You will notice that many players

will raise every time they have the

button. They are not good players. They just think

that having the button is an automatic raise rule. It’s

not. Think before making a raise.

257.Above all else, no-limit is a game of

guts. Some men believe this means

women can’t play well. Many good female players

will stomp on these men. It doesn’t take a beer belly

or testosterone to have guts!

258.A hint for the men: beware of the

female player. There are a zillion

differences between men and women in life. There

is just one difference between men and women at

the poker table—women have breasts. But as is

always true in poker, there is an exception to every

rule. Some men also have breasts to go along with

their beer bellies.

259.Women are at the poker table for

the same reason men are there, to

win the money while having a good time. Men who

think women are weak at the poker table are giving

those women a huge advantage.


260.Always remember that it does not

take brawn to have brains. The

poker table is the only completely level playing

field.

261.Beware of early position limpers.

They could have a hand too big to

bet and be setting a trap that you don’t want to step

into.

262.Playing middle suited (8-7, 10-9, J-

10) from up front is a big no-no.

Play them from late position only if there has been

no raise, and personally I wouldn’t play them unless

I was well ahead of the game. If you do play them,

continue after the flop only if you flopped perfect.

263.If you never lay down a winning

hand, you’re playing too loose. If

you never lay down the winner you’re playing way

too many hands and you’ll be losing a lot too. The

idea is to win the ones you play. Be selective.

264.Don’t be afraid to try a bluff or a

semibluff now and then. How else

will you know what you can get away with? Just like

a naughty child, keep it up until you get caught and

punished and then back off.


265.On your bluffing excursions, don’t

be reckless. Pick and choose your

moments. Example: You’re in the cutoff seat and

have a fold tell on the button or you have an ace-rag

in the big blind and the button always raises, pop

him back!

266.Sometimes the bluff will be a mis-

take, but do not fret; let it go and

move on. The best player in the world will make a

mistake now and then. Your goal is to play as mistake-

free as possible. He who makes the least mistakes will

win the most money.

267.Most people do not realize the

value of picking up the blinds with

a raise from late position. As previously mentioned,

you should not raise every time you are on the but-

ton, but you also should take advantage of good

position as often as possible. Done often enough, it

adds up for a minimal risk.

268.If you are playing with low funds

after a few losses, you need to

tighten up. If you have a nice stack of chips in front

of you after a few wins, you can loosen up—maybe

even throw in an occasional bluff or semibluff from

late position when the time is right.


269.This holds true for ring games or

tournament play. In tournament

competition, the higher the limit, the more chips

you can accumulate with blind stealing.

270.Speaking of tournament play, the

basics of the four stages in a poker

tournament discussed in limit hold’em hold true in

no-limit as well. The stages include the beginning,

the middle, and the late stages, and end with final

table success. I’ll advise you on the differences in

strategies in limit and no-limit tournaments.

271.My friend Dr. Max Stern holds sev-

eral world titles. I have seen Max

raise all in after the flop with the nut flush draw in a

no-limit tournament. This is a semibluff. He picked

up the pot then and there. While he is the type of

player to make such a move at any stage of the tour-

nament, I won’t risk all my chips on a draw early in

competition.


272.It is just as important, if not more

so, to wait and observe in the early

stages of a no-limit tournament as it is in limit. If

you get involved in any hand early in limit, you can

survive, but if you do the same in no-limit you have

the possibility of going broke or being severely

wounded. In tournament play, it’s best to start the

race in a low, slow gear.

273.True story: My friend Bill Fain from

Virginia City, Nevada, was coming

to Las Vegas some years back to play in the $10,000

main event of the World Series of Poker. This is an

exciting time for any poker player and even more so

when it is a maiden voyage. Bill was running just a

tad late. He rushed in, hurried up to his seat, and

picked up his two cards before he sat down. He was

looking at two red aces. The pot had been raised in

front of him and reraised all in. To call it would take

his entire stack of $10,000.


274.Not many people would lay that

hand down preflop in any situation,

but Bill said later, “I know aces can be beaten. I

couldn’t stand the thought of getting them cracked

and having to leave before I even took my coat off

and sat down. I hadn’t even had time to look around

and get the juices flowing with the excitement of

this wonderful tournament. I decided I had plenty

of time and I preferred to tell the story of laying

down those two aces than taking the chance of hav-

ing to tell a horrible beat on the first hand I ever got

to play in my first opportunity to play the big one.”

275.In almost any poker tournament

you play, big buy-in or small, you

will most likely run into what I call the “young

guns.” These are the young aggressive players who

constantly mimic the type of poker player we see on

TV.

276.These novices often will wear sun-

glasses and a hat trying to be cool

and look tough. They move full speed ahead at all

times, but just wait; they eventually will shoot

themselves in the foot and limp away from the

table, leaving their chips in someone else’s stack.


277.Most of the time, people do not

realize that the poker competition

they are watching on TV is the end of a tournament.

Not only are they watching the end, but also the

final table that has been edited from about three or

four hours of play into approximately fifty-two min-

utes. The producers are showing only the exciting

hands. It is a mirage and not the way tournament

poker is actually played.

278.There also are the young guns who

know how to slow down. They are

often successful with their overly aggressive style

because they are smart enough to know when to

change gears. They know when they are pushing the

limit and they know when to back off. These guys

are dangerous players. Proceed with caution.

279.I do not advocate bowing down to a

bully. Rather, wait until the time is

right, when you are looking at a pair or a good draw,

and after he makes his usual raise, move all in. Now

the decision rests on him. You must be willing to go

broke in order to accumulate chips (and put a bully

in his place). This is called big-bet poker.


280.Once you make the decision, any

all-in bet is the easiest in no-limit.

You have no more decisions to make on the hand

and the pressure is on your opponent. Try not to call

all in, though. Whenever possible, make the all-in

play with a raise or a reraise.

281.Survival is the key to winning no-

limit tournaments and that

requires knowing when to hold’em and when to

fold’em. Sometimes you will have to make difficult

laydowns in order to survive. You cannot win the

tournament if you’re not in the tournament.

282.Around the fifth or sixth level in no-

limit tournaments, you will be

anteing in addition to putting in your blinds. This is

true of real tournaments, not necessarily small buy-

in weekly events or Internet competition. Your goal

should be to survive until that level and then start

playing.

283.Example: When the level reaches

$100-$200 blinds, the next level

should be $100-$200 with a $25 ante. The next level

will go to $150-$300 with a $50 ante and then $200-

$400 with a $75 ante and on up.


284.Now is the time to start some bluff-

ing and semibluffing because

based on the blinds and antes, every hand is an

established pot (something worth winning). Hold

your breath and jump in.

285.It is scary to push all your chips into

the pot from late position with only

a marginal hand, but it is often necessary in order to

survive while waiting on “real” hands. Many pros

say that after so many years, it isn’t so scary. I’ve

been playing major tournaments since 1991, and

I’m still waiting.

286.If you can pick up one hand a

round, you can stay ahead of the

game. If that doesn’t happen, don’t panic; you might

pick up two the next round and then, boom, you

might pick up a monster. Play it just right to maxi-

mize your profit and suddenly you can breathe easy

for a while.

287.In the middle stages of a tourna-

ment, you should be building and

protecting your chip stack.


288.If something goes wrong on a hand

and you lose a chunk of your hard-

earned chips, do not panic. One thing I love about

no-limit is that you can be the shortest stack at the

table and within three hands become the chip

leader.

289.Many times I have seen players get

in a comfort zone with the amount

of chips they have been accumulating throughout

the tourney. Then they take a bad beat from a yahoo

and go on tilt. They blow the rest of their chips off in

disgust and go home in a huff. Do not make this

mistake. As long as you have a chip, you have a

chance.

290.One of the toughest hands for me to

play in a no-limit tourney is A-K.

Most players treat it as if it is a huge pair, but the fact

is that preflop, a baby pair is bigger.

291.Play big slick very gingerly early in

the tournament, a bit more

aggressively in the middle rounds, and much

more aggressively later in the tournament, espe-

cially in shorthanded play.


292.I would alternate raising and calling

with A-K from early or middle posi-

tion in the middle rounds of a tourney. If you just

pick up the blinds, good. If you hit a flop, wonderful,

but if you raise and get a caller and the flop comes

with rags or paints that miss you, do not bet unless

your opponent is ultra-conservative. If you do bet,

put in a “test” bet, especially if he has checked to

you.

293.If you decide to play A-K in short-

handed play, move all in. That way

you will get to see all five cards—or you’ll pick up

the pot preflop.

294.As noted in the limit hold’em sec-

tion, don’t forget to watch the clock

as it gets later in the tournament. In the early stages

you’ve got plenty of time. In the later stages that

clock becomes of vital importance, especially if you

are short-stacked.

295.My Mama used to say that the

secret to a good sixty-five-year mar-

riage was flexibility. I say that the secret to winning

poker tournaments is also flexibility.


296.No one who plays the same for the

entirety of a tournament will be a

winner. You must change your style to keep others

confused and to adjust to the style of your opponents.

297.As you near the money and then

the final table in a no-limit tourna-

ment, your goal is either to win it outright or to

move up in the ranks. My philosophy is to move up

in the rankings one step at a time.

298.With every hand you consider play-

ing, stop and ask yourself: will I win

this hand or is this a bonehead play that will knock

me out of the competition?

299.If you have enough chips for sur-

vival then play just premium hands

or take advantage of late position bluffing in order

to keep moving up. If you are short-stacked, pick

your best opportunity and go for it—all in.

300.You will find that as you get near

the money, players will tighten up

in order to make the money; and once you make

the money, almost everyone will start playing

again. Watch them. Be very observant of how

everyone is playing.


301.If you know a player is interested

only in moving up one notch at a

time, you can attack his blinds. If you know a player

is interested only in making first place, he will be

playing looser so don’t be afraid to move in on him

with A-Q or any pair.

302.Don’t let a loose player bully you off

a hand. Take a stand. If you lose the

hand you will still win some money, and if you win

you will have more ammunition to go for the bigger

money.

303.Once you get to the final table you

should seldom limp into a pot. As a

matter of fact, if a good player does limp into a pot,

beware! He probably has big holdings.

304.If there are short stacks at your final

table, try to wait until they are gone,

causing you to move up in the money. If you have

chips, you can attack the short stacks, and if you are

the short stack, jump in, all in with any ace or any

pair. Hopefully that will get you back in the game.


305.If you are low chipped, any paint is

playable, provided no one has

made a big move at the pot before the action gets to

you. The exception is if the bully has a huge stack

and is raising virtually every pot.

306.I personally believe making deals at

the final table of a poker tourna-

ment is a good idea. Deals are made in a number of

ways. If everyone is about even in chips, chop up

the money equally. If one player has a tremendous

chip lead, offer him more and the rest of you cut up

the remaining amount. If everyone is uneven in

chips but all want to deal, you can go by chip count.

307.The tournament director can tell

you the value of each chip and you

can calculate accordingly. Be sure you get more

than you would if you played it out.

308.Example: Let’s say there are six

players remaining and you have the

short stack when the deal is proposed. The other

players elect to go by chip count but when the fig-

uring is finished you will win $700, but sixth place

would pay $720. That makes it a foolish deal for you,

so veto it. If they want to deal with you they need to

offer you at least 10 percent more than what you

normally would get.


309.When you get to heads up and a

deal has not yet been made, I sug-

gest some wheeling and dealing if you are so

inclined. The levels can get so high that continuing

to play becomes more like a crapshoot than a poker

tournament.

310.So lock up the best deal you can

and then continue to play your

heart out. Deal or no deal, you want to win first

place.

311.You should note that the World

Poker Tour does not allow deals and

the World Series bracelet cannot be included in a

deal.

312.There is no greater thrill for a poker

player than winning a major tour-

nament. I realize that the average player cannot

shell out $5,000 or $10,000 to even participate in a

major event, but there are a number of inexpensive

ways to get that buy-in. We’ll get into that shortly, so

read on, my friends.


No-Limit Hold’em Tips for the Intermediate Player

313.Knowing your opponents and how

they play is critical in no-limit since

it is as much a game of playing the people as playing

the cards. Watch what is going on at your table and

size up your opponents. Remember: you cannot bluff

the unbluffable, so choose your moments wisely.

314.There is one ingredient for becom-

ing a good player that cannot be

taught. That is a feeling or an intuition as to whether

someone is bluffing you or when it is time for you to

bluff. The great players just know.

315.The only way to know is to listen to

your inner voice, pay attention to

your gut feelings and act upon them. If you are right

most of the time, you have that edge, if you are not,

just practice playing good poker.

316.Bluffing is of greater importance in

no-limit than in limit because you

can’t bet enough in limit to make your opponent

stop, think, and possibly fold. In limit there are

many brainless calls when the pot is raised. In no-

limit you can bet enough to get their attention.


317.1982 World Champion Jack Strauss

said, “Consider limit hold’em a sci-

ence; you’re shooting at a target. Consider no-limit

hold’em an art; the target comes alive and shoots

back at you!”

318.As for the rocks, they don’t have the

heart to play true no-limit. They

wait for the nut hands and then, when they raise,

they don’t get any action because they are rocks.

319.A good no-limit poker player is not

afraid to play a pot. As a matter of

fact, there are more playable hands in no-limit than

in limit hold’em because of the pot odds. The pots

get so big in no-limit that often a jack-10 or even

small-suited connectors are worth calling a reason-

able raise if you are in late position.

320.In a ring game of no-limit with a

buy-in of $200, if you get involved in

a big hand and go broke, rebuy to stay in the game

for another $200 only if the game is good. If there is

enough action that you can easily make $400 (your

original investment) or more, the rebuy is worth it.


321.If it is a very tight, slow game, try

again another day. Another alterna-

tive is to change tables. Look for greener pastures.

322.Do not check a big hand from early

position, unless you are sure an

aggressive player behind you will bet. Checking to

some players is like waving a red flag at a bull; they

will bet! If that happens, then check-raise those

players.

323.At times you may bet not because

you think you have the best hand

but because you want to gain information. And

sometimes that bet will win the pot for you then

and there.

324.Example: You are in the big blind

with a Qª-5¨. The pot is unraised

so you get to see a free flop. There are two players

and yourself. The flop comes 6«-4¨-3ª. The flop

missed you completely, but did it hit anybody else?

A bet will gain that information—and you have an

open-ended straight in case someone just calls you.

This is a semibluff. You are bluffing but you have

outs.


325.Another example: You are in middle

position with K¨-J©. The flop

comes A©-Jª-5«. There are three players in the pot.

The first one checks to you. You bet to see if either of

them has an ace.

326.Playing ace-X suited from early to

middle position depends on the

texture of your table. If players are allowing limping,

try to see a cheap flop (unraised). If it’s a really tight

table, put in a raise to steal the blinds. However, if

it’s a ramming, jamming game with a lot of preflop

raising, wait for a better hand and/or better posi-

tion.

327.Calling a raise or reraising is

entirely different than opening the

pot with a raise. At a conservative table you likely

would raise with A-J from middle position, maybe

even from early position, but you wouldn’t

(absolutely shouldn’t) reraise or call a raise.

328.Whether in tournaments or ring

games, never soft-play anybody. If

you are at a table with your lifelong friend who is the

godmother of your children, you gotta do it—bust

her!


329.The only exception to this rule is in

a penny ante home game. If your

great grandmother is in the game, it’s okay. You can

soft-play her—a little.

330.It’s useful to develop a conservative

image, but you should vary your

play—if you think you can bluff grandma and get

her to fold, do it!

331.There is no set mold that makes a

winning no-limit player. Some win-

ning players have an aggressive style; some have a

more conservative style.

332.There is a set mold for losing play-

ers. These are the maniacs, the

rocks, and the calling stations.

333.The aggressive winning player

knows when to put on the brakes.

The conservative winning players know when to

speed things up. It’s called changing gears and is

much more prevalent (and necessary) in tourna-

ment competition.


334.The good player knows when to

change gears, based on information

he has gathered on how his opponents are playing,

their styles, tells, positions, and his own position. In

a tournament it also depends on what stage you are

in and the size of your opponent’s chip stacks.

335.Watch out for the rocks although

they are pretty easy to play. You

simply don’t go up against them unless you have a

powerhouse.

336.On the flip side of that coin, you

should also watch out for the mani-

acs. They are much more difficult to play because it

is so difficult to “put them on” a hand, that is, deter-

mine what cards they may be playing.

337.Maniacs seem to be playing for fun

and action, not necessarily to win.

Depending on the limits they are playing, it can

seem as if they have a money tree somewhere or an

inheritance (a big one!).


338.I preach solid play; however, you

should mix it up a bit. Never

become predictable. Throw some zigs and zags into

your play. Keep them confused. Just when they

believe they have you pegged as a conservative

player who never gets out of line, get out of line.

Keep them off guard.

339.I have heard it said that the only

difference between a solid player

and a maniac is the frequency of their risky busi-

ness. You have to take that risk now and then.

340.There have been a lot of young guns

over the last few years who have

been very successful playing like an out-of-control

Mack truck—full speed ahead with full force. Will

this style keep them in the winner’s circle for years

to come? I don’t know. Ask me in twenty years. I’m

doubtful.

341.Time will tell about the life

expectancy of the Mack trucks. I

have seen “my” style—solid play with an occasion-

ally bold move—endure through the decades.


342.The bluff is a very important part of

the no-limit game, but the less you

bluff, the more effective your bluffs will be (against

good players). Timing is everything.

343.I harp about playing against good

players so much because most

often a strategy that will work against an experi-

enced player will go unnoticed against a yahoo.

Sophisticated plays need to be made against

sophisticated players.

344.Doyle Brunson says, “When bluff-

ing, always have an out. I prefer to

have many outs.”

345.Example: You call a small raise in a

four-way pot in late position with a

10©-9¨. The flop comes 8«-7©-3©. Everyone

checks to you. Now is the time to bluff. Bet about

the size of the pot. You have many outs. You could

catch a 6 or a jack for a straight or a 9 or a 10 to pair

for top pair, but the idea is to take the pot then and

there. Consider your outs your insurance—just in

case someone calls your bluff.


346.Never show a bluff. Players who run

a successful bluff and then show

their nothing cards consider it “advertising” so they

can then set up a player with a good hand. I do not

agree with this strategy.

347.I not only advocate never showing a

bluff, I believe in never showing a

hand unless you have to. Why? Because you’re giv-

ing away too much information.

348.Many players take great pride in

showing their bluffs or showing

their hands, win or lose. Pay attention when this

happens. The more information you can get on how

your opponent plays, the better. The less you give

up about how you play, the better.

349.Limping in on the small blind is

fine if your opponent will allow it.

As a matter of fact, I limp as often as possible in the

blind or from late position for two reasons: 1) to see

as many flops as possible and 2) so I can limp when

I pick up a monster hand and set a trap.


350.Sometimes when attempting to set

a trap, you end up trapping your-

self. Think it through and be careful. Be cautious

when slow-playing a big hand if there is a good

draw on the board.

351.Example: In a full ring game, if you

pick up two red aces in late posi-

tion, you want to bet or raise just the right amount

to end up playing against no more than two oppo-

nents or, preferably, to be heads up (playing against

only one opponent).

352.Let’s say the flop comes A¨-9©-3¨.

You want to trap with your huge set

of aces. However, be careful about those clubs,

especially if you are against two other players. Put in

a nice-size bet or raise about the size of the pot if

you are up against one player or make it a slightly

bigger bet if you’re against two or more players. If

anybody is going for clubs, make them pay for it.

353.Same hand only this time you’re

heads-up in a tournament. Slow-

play until the river. If you can’t get your opponent to

bet then make a medium-size bet on the river (half

the size of the pot). Ideally, you will check the flop,

he will bet the turn, and you can raise a healthy

sum.


354.Any time you’re shorthanded or

heads up in a tournament, slow-

play any big pair. Yes, you’re gambling, but you need

to try to maximize those opportunities.

355.Comparing ring game play to tour-

nament play is like comparing golf

to football. Truly, there is that much difference and

if you understand the whys and wherefores, and

have the stamina, patience, guts, and heart to com-

pete properly in tournament competition, you will

either love it or hate it.

356.I love poker tournaments because

of the tremendous overlay oppor-

tunities. If I take $200 into a ring game (live game

versus tournament) of no-limit Texas hold’em, play

for three hours, and double or triple my money, I

had a good session. However, for the same $200

investment, I can have the opportunity to win

much, much more in a poker tournament and if all

goes well, I will get to play for huge limits that I

would never be able to afford in a ring game.


357.The likelihood of winning tens of

thousands of dollars by putting

your poker prowess to the task in a poker tourna-

ment is a much longer shot than the likelihood of a

good player winning hundreds or even a thousand

or two in a ring game. However, somebody is going

to win that tournament! Why not you? If you don’t

buy the lottery ticket, you do not have a chance of

that miracle happening; winning a poker tourna-

ment is a much more likely bet, especially for a

skillful player.

358.Keep in mind, you do not have to

win first place to win a lot of money.

Most tournaments are now paying one spot for

every ten players, which means that in a tourna-

ment with three hundred fifty participants, thirty-

five players will have a payday. In a tournament

with one hundred twenty players, twelve will be

paid and so forth. In most small buy-in weekly tour-

naments ($100 or less) in Las Vegas, if the field tops

one hundred, they will pay two tables—eighteen or

twenty players.


359.Major tournaments need to be

played in four stages, the early

stages (rounds 1, 2, and 3), the middle stages (rounds

5, 6, and 7), the late stages (rounds 7, 8, 9, and up),

and the final table. With the exception of the early

stages, you will need to do a lot of changing gears.

360.Play the early stages of a no-limit

tournament just as you would a

ring game. Your early play should be solid, conser-

vative, and selectively aggressive. There is no need

to take risks or gamble early in any tournament.

361.In the middle stages, rev it up a

notch while dodging any runaway

trains (maniacs). Pick up the blinds when you can

and proceed cautiously.

362.In fast-paced tournaments (small

buy-ins with shorter rounds), it’s

basically a game of raise or fold by the time you hit

the middle rounds. In tournaments with a slower

structure, you have time to play and plenty of time

to maneuver.


363.In the late stages you should be

speeding up, slowing down, speed-

ing up, and slowing down. What you do when

depends on whom you are against and what they

will let you get away with.

364.Often when they are just one or two

places away from the money, many

players will slow way down in an effort just to make

the money. This is a good time to steal a lot of pots.

365.It can be very disheartening to play

your best for ten hours (there are

potty breaks and a break for meals, depending on

the length of the event) only to end up on the

dreaded bubble. It is terribly disappointing and can

bring a tear to a grown man’s eye.

366.However, when you do taste that

thrill of victory, the high can last for

days. If it is a major tournament, you’ll find yourself

floating around on that victory cloud for weeks.

367.Keep in mind: you don’t have to be

crowned the champion to go home

with a nice chunk of change. The big money is usu-

ally in the top three spots, but any score should be

considered a feather in your cap.


368.Late in a tournament, always know

the chip stacks of all your oppo-

nents. At the very least know how many players

have a smaller stack than yours.

369.You can have a sweater (one who is

watching and rooting for you) be

your look out and give you hand signals—holding

up the number of fingers of how many players

remain who have shorter stacks than you, for exam-

ple. This is not cheating. It is getting as much infor-

mation as possible to help in your decision-making.

It is smart play.

370.This information will help you

decide how you want to play at any

given time. If you are one away from a prize

increase and four players have shorter stacks than

you, you want to wait. If you are the shortest stack,

you have to make a move.

371.If you are interested in playing big

buy-in tournaments or the WSOP

or the World Poker Tour but your pocketbook says

no (remember the rule: play only with money you

can afford to flush), there are alternatives.


372.If you live in an area that has casinos,

the poker rooms probably run satel-

lites for the larger tournaments. A satellite is a tourna-

ment with a smaller buy-in that parlays the win into

the buy-in for the major event.

373.I believe satellites are wonderful. So

many of us cannot afford the big

buy-in events, but we can get there through these

parlay opportunities.

374.Example: A supersatellite is a multi-

table satellite that will award the

number of seats that the prize pool allows. Let’s say

the buy-in is $230 ($200 goes to the prize pool and

$30 goes to the house to pay expenses). They allow

rebuys that cost $200 each for the first hour of play.

You are playing for a $10,000 seat to the WSOP. After

the first hour, the loot is counted and the prizes are

announced.


375.If there are two hundred twenty

players, then the basic prize pool is

$44,000. If there are 453 rebuys, another $90,600 is

added to the prize pool for a total of $134,600. They

would award thirteen seats, a $10,000 value each,

and divide the remaining $4,600 as prize money for

fourteenth, fifteenth, sixteenth, and on down the

line depending on their formula for prize fund dis-

tribution. They might divide the overage among the

winners for travel expenses if the supersatellite is

held somewhere besides Las Vegas.

376.Supersatellites are high-speed tour-

naments. Sit down, fasten your seat

belt, and pray. I prefer one-table satellites where the

field is much smaller.

377.A one-table satellite is another par-

lay opportunity. If you were playing

for a $1,000 seat, you would pay approximately $120

each and have to beat only nine players.

378.Deals are commonplace in one-

table satellites. If it gets down to

two players and one has the majority of the chips,

he may offer his opponent a few hundred dollars to

go away. If they are relatively close in chip position,

one may pay the other $500 for the win. That way

they both win half their buy-in.


379.When it’s down to only two players,

you may agree on a deal that one of

you will play the tournament but give up a percent-

age of his action to his opponent. If this is the case

and you know that your opponent is a stronger

player than you, make the deal!

380.One-table satellites usually consist

of fifteen-minute rounds. Conserv-

ative play is okay, but only for the first round or

round and a half.

381.In the first few rounds players will

be eliminated. After that you will

have to play faster than normal and learn how to

stay out of the way in some pots.

382.One-table satellites involve playing

your players, a lot of zigging and

zagging, and more luck than in a normal tourna-

ment. After the fourth round you will probably be

moving all in if you enter a pot.



383.Don’t be totally reckless but

remember, as the field gets shorter,

your starting hand requirements are greatly reduced.

By the time you are heads up, you want to raise with

any ace, any paint, and any pair. Unless you pick up

aces or kings, then slow-play before the flop.

384.Whatever two cards you are hold-

ing, if you flop favorably, slow-play

and try to get your opponent to move in—you call—

you win! (Hopefully.)

385.If your opponent will allow it, call the

big blind with almost any two cards.

Anything can flop. I can’t tell you how many one-table

satellites I have won by just calling the big blind with

any two cards and catching a good flop. Trap City!

386.If you don’t live near a casino that

offers satellites, don’t fret. In chap-

ter 10, I’ll give you detailed instructions so that you

can have your own, right at home.

No-Limit Hold’em Tips for theAdvanced Player

387.Let’s begin our advanced study of

my favorite game with Susie’s Five P

Theory. If you follow the Five P Theory to the letter,

you will be a winning player.

388.1. Patience: So easy to understand

but so difficult to execute. Remem-

ber, you cannot win a poker tournament in the first

few rounds, but you sure can lose it! Wait for the

proper starting hands.

389.2. Position: Not so easy for begin-

ners to understand but such a

strong defensive tool once you get it. Knowing what

your opponents are going to do before the betting

gets to you is very valuable information. A hand you

may toss in early position you could just as easily

raise with in late position.

390.3. Psychology: The psychological

aspect of poker, playing the players

and your position rather than your cards, is a bit

more advanced. It’s the same with picking up tells

and using them as a defensive tool.


391.4. Perseverance: Never give up! The

beats are part of the game. Think

forward, not in reverse. You must have some luck to

go with your skill, but I guarantee you need more

skill to go with your luck to be a winning player. (Of

course, “never give up” doesn’t mean you don’t

know when to fold or call it a night. Play smart.)

392.5. Practice: Play, play, and play if

you want to be a student of the

game. Make notes and study them. The knowledge

you develop from situational play is ammunition

for the future.

393.Advanced poker playing is psycho-

logical warfare, especially in no-

limit, because you can make such big bets that it

really puts the pressure on. Even if you don’t have

the biggest hand, your bet could dictate that you do.

You also can make bets big enough to get an oppo-

nent off a straight or a flush draw. You cannot do

that in limit hold’em.

394.No-limit is a game of trapping and

bluffing. Your goal is to set good

traps but avoid stepping into a trap. You should

bluff when the time is right, but avoid being bluffed.


395.You should seldom bluff in a ring

game. Seldom does not mean

never. If you are playing with good players, your

play will be respected and when you do decide to

make a move, your bluffs will have power.

396.Money management must be prac-

ticed both on and off the poker

table. I know poker players who have won millions

of dollars playing poker but have blown it all in the

sports book or at the craps table.

397.Skill, discipline, money manage-

ment, and some luck will help get

you to the top. It also takes heart. That one is a bit

hard to explain. Think of those children’s rubber

dolls that won’t knock down. You hit them, they go

down, but come right back up. (You can’t let the bad

beats get you down.)

398.A talented ring game player does

not always make for a great tourna-

ment player and vice versa. In ring games you play

basically in the same solid gear, changing only occa-

sionally when opportunity knocks. If you use this

strategy in a tournament, you will be gobbled up in

the later rounds. You must learn the talent of bob-

bing and weaving (changing gears) and when to do

what in order to be successful in poker tournaments.


399.Whether playing an intuitive or an

analytical game, the ins, outs, odds,

and probabilities are all very important. Just as

important, if not more so, is refining your ability to

read your opponents. The way to do this is to watch

and play, play and watch.

400.Unlike figuring pot odds, there is no

formula for figuring “people odds.”

Is the player betting big because he has a big hand,

or is he betting big because he doesn’t want a caller?

Watch to see if you can pick up the tiniest hint that

will answer that question and you will win most of

the confrontations against that player. More on this

subject in chapter 9, “Tells.”

401.When you have an opportunity to

play in a major tournament, you

need to prepare yourself in more than the knowl-

edge of how to play tournament poker. The best of

cars will not run if they are not maintained or if they

run out of gas. Likewise, the best of poker players

cannot perform at their best if they are not pre-

pared.

402.If you travel to participate in a big

poker tournament, arrive a few

days early to allow your body to adjust to the time

zone.


403.Do not play too many hours of

poker in the days prior to a big

competition.

404.Do not drink alcohol for a few days

before the event or during play!

405.Be well rested. Go into a tourna-

ment after a light, healthy break-

fast. Bring nuts and protein bars with you. Eat a

light, healthy meal for dinner.

406.During competition, take the time

to think about a major decision

(like putting all your chips into the pot). Ask your-

self if you are making a mistake or if it would be a

mistake to fold. Ask yourself how much you should

bet or raise and why.

407.Make no knee-jerk plays. Wait until

the time is right and make the cor-

rect decisions.


408.In a major tournament, you will get

away with what other players will

allow, so get to know how they play. If you have some

superaggressive players at your table, you will be

forced to “be good,” play in a low gear, and not get

out of line. If you pick up a big hand against one or

both of them, your goal will be to maximize your win.

409.Do not overplay your hand. Let

them believe that if they keep bet-

ting or raising you will go away. When the time is

right, reraise them—throw it into high gear.

410.Example: You are holding Aª-K«.

An aggressive player has raised and

another has called. Just call. The flop is A©-K¨-2¨.

The first player bets, the second folds, you should

just call. The turn is a 7ª. The lead player makes a

big bet. Now is the time to make your move; it is

very unlikely he has you beat. You know this by the

way he has been playing. He probably is holding

ace-rag. Now, go for the jugular. Hopefully he has an

ace-deuce and thinks he is gold. You get all the

money. This is a perfect example of not overplaying

your hand in order to maximize your profit.


411.Mix up your play, keep your oppo-

nents off-guard; don’t be pre-

dictable. Occasionally limp in and sometimes fold

when it is raised behind you. This gives you trap-

setting potential.

412.Never over-commit yourself to the

pot with a marginal hand, a bluff, or

a semibluff. If you bet more than half your stack,

you are pot committed. If you plan to make a raise

on a marginal hand, a bluff, or a semibluff, you are

doing so because you think your opponent(s) will

fold. If you bet less than 50 percent of your stack,

you can get away from your hand if someone, par-

ticularly a solid player, plays back at you. If you have

60 or 70 percent of your chips in the pot, you are pot

committed. If you’re going to put that much into the

pot, go ahead and move all in.

413.The exception to this rule is if you

have a big hand and know you’ll

put all your chips in the pot on any reraise. Then it

is okay to put yourself in a pot-committed situation,

especially if you’re looking for a caller.


414.There is nothing sweeter than

being at the final table with a

medium stack, picking up a monster, and trapping

the big stack that has a good hand. Voila! You magi-

cally become the big stack, and he becomes a

medium stack.

415.My friend, poker guru Rick Gianti,

explains a poker tournament thusly:

“Consider the tournament big game hunting and

your chips are your ammunition. If you waste your

ammunition messing around and shooting at trees

and beer bottles, then when the big game comes

along you may not have enough ammunition to bag

your trophy.”

416.In tournament play you cannot buy

more chips (unless it’s a rebuy tour-

ney). You can get more chips only by winning them.

With this in mind, treat your chips like precious and

irreplaceable gems. As the tournament progresses,

they become even more valuable.

417.In any stage of a tourney a rush is

wonderful, but you can never

depend on a rush. You need to recognize when

another player is on a rush and avoid getting

involved in pots with such a player. Also learn to

recognize when his rush is over.


418.If you are lucky enough to get on a

rush, milk it for all it’s worth. When

it is over, change gears accordingly. Never overplay

a rush. Hold on to those precious gems (chips).

419.Think! Unless it is an automatic

fold, each decision is crucial, par-

ticularly in tournament competition because you

cannot buy more chips if you go broke. In no-limit

you can go broke on any hand at any time, so think!

420.No matter how hard you try to

make the correct decisions every

time, there will be times that you will make the right

decision but the result will not be in your favor.

Some right moves are made at the wrong time, and

some wrong moves are made at the right time.

421.My poker professor Tom McEvoy

says, “Unlike limit poker, in which

you have to win a series of pots and show down lots

of hands, in no-limit hold’em you don’t have to win

lots of pots; you just have to win most of the ones

you play. And you don’t have to play very many

hands.”


422.More McEvoy wisdom: “Don’t let

fear freeze your play. People who

don’t gamble enough usually are afraid of getting

knocked out of a tournament, but there is another

way to look at things. Whether you get knocked out

one place out of the money or first makes no differ-

ence. The result is the same.”

423.“Throughout the entire tourna-

ment, you must be playing to win

and trying to accumulate chips so that you can

make the money. Don’t worry about getting

knocked out. Play to win or don’t play at all.”

424.“Using position, chip power, and

good timing is often more impor-

tant than getting good cards in no-limit. In other

words, you can win pots with no cards.” (Figura-

tively speaking!)

425.It is worth repeating that it may be

a tough decision to make but once

you make it, the easiest move in no-limit is when

you move all in. You have no more decisions to

make. You will win the pot then and there or you will

get to see all five-community cards. You have put

the decision on your opponent.


426.Your decision to move all in will

depend on several factors: you

think you have the winning hand and you do not

want your opponent to draw to a hand that can beat

you, you’re short-stacked and have to make a move,

or your odds of making a winning hand are good

enough to justify this risk.

427.To determine the odds of making

your hand, you must first know

your outs. Outs are the number of cards that you

believe will make your hand the winning hand.

428.You need to have a read on what

your opponent is holding in order

to determine if the hand you are trying to make will

be the winning hand. If you can make your hand

and your opponent still beats you, it is called draw-

ing dead.

429.Each time you play a hand you

must consider the strength of your

hand in relation to the cards on the board and what

hand you believe your opponent is holding. If you

believe you must improve your hand to win (you

put him on a big pair and you have an open-ended

straight or a flush draw), you then must figure the

percentage for improving your hand based on the

number of outs you have.


430.To be precise in calculating your

odds of making a hand, you have

to be a quick mathematician or have a calculator

at the poker table. When you see the major league

players thinking and thinking about a decision on

television, they often are figuring their odds of

making a hand.

431.My friend, poker player and colum-

nist Jan Fisher, offered her readers a

simple formula, which, though not exact, is very

close. With two cards to come after the flop you

multiply your number of outs by four. With one card

to come after the turn, you multiply your number of

outs by two.

432.Example: If you have a four-card

flush after the flop, you have nine

outs. With two cards to come, multiply the nine by

four and you get a 36 percent chance of making the

flush. With one card to come, you multiply nine by

two and you have an 18 percent chance.

433.This formula is not exact but it is

easy to do in your mind. The idea is

to try to make a mathematical estimation of the

likelihood of catching the card that will give you the

winning hand and determine whether it is worth

the risk.


434.Another thing to consider: If your

opponent has put himself all in

with his bet on the flop and no one else has entered

the pot, you know exactly how much it is going to

cost you to see the flop, the turn, and the river. This

greatly improves your odds.

435.Deal making at the final table is

probably more important in no-

limit tournaments than in any other simply because

you can go broke on any given hand.

436.Example: You have arrived at the

final table and you are in average

chip position but there are two very short stacks at

the table. Wait until they either go out or one or

both of them begins to rebuild their chips, then

suggest a deal.

437. If one player says, “I’m not inter-

ested,” then you cannot take

negotiations any further. However, if that player is

then eliminated, you can once again ask about a

deal. Some players are against a deal under any cir-

cumstances while others are always willing.


438.Example: You are at the final table

and there are six of you remaining.

One player has a very large stack; the other five are

close to each other in their chip count. The remain-

ing prize pool is $90,000. You could propose that the

big stack receive $25,000 and each of you remaining

receive $15,000 each. That would leave $5,000 to

play for.

439.Remember with a short field (five

or six players) at the final table you

have fewer combinations of cards competing

against you and fewer challengers. For instance, a

small pair at the final table with a short field is com-

parable to a big pair early in the tournament. Any

ace late in the tourney is comparable to big slick

early on.

440.The shorter the field, the lower your

starting-hand requirements should

be. It is high-gear time. Be aggressive unless you

think you are beat, and then save as many chips as

you can.


441.When you make the final table of a

major event you most likely will be

on TV. Lights, microphones, cameras, and a live

audience will surround you. It won’t be easy, but

you must get into a poker-playing zone, blocking

out all the excitement that is surrounding you.

442.After you win, it also isn’t easy to re-

enter the real world and let the

excitement flow. Take a deep breath, and think

about what you have accomplished. Then let her

rip—Yahooie!

443.I’ll end this no-limit section with

another quote from World Cham-

pion Chris Ferguson, “Skill, talent, and some luck

can get you the to the top, but it takes heart and dis-

cipline to keep you there.” That right there is a ton

of poker wisdom for you.


Seven-card stud, limit hold’em, and no-limit

hold’em are the three most popular poker games

played publicly today. These three games are alike

(they’re all poker) but very different.

While researching the history of poker, I learned

that during the Civil War soldiers played five-card

draw, which has two rounds of betting. Wanting

more action and another round of betting, the fel-

lows developed a new poker game called stud

poker. The game was named after the stud horses

that often had to pull the heavy cannons and wag-

ons out of the mire. I suppose the soldiers wanted to

Seven-CardStud

3.

get their poker game out of the mire. It is said that

during World War II, soldiers changed their nightly

game of five-card stud to seven-card stud so they

could have two more rounds of betting, which

added the extra action they craved.

Many players cut their poker teeth on seven-

card stud. Although less popular in Las Vegas than it

was a decade ago, the game is still played in casinos,

in poker tournaments, and on millions of kitchen

tables across the nation. You can find hold’em

games in any casino or card club that offers poker,

but if you’re looking specifically for seven-card stud

you better make a phone call to be sure. Seven-card

stud seems to be more popular on the East Coast

than the West. Most casinos in Atlantic City offer

stud from low limit to middle limit. Trump Taj

Mahal offers a huge limit ($300-$600) on weekends.

Low-limit games can be found daily in casinos in

Arizona, Mississippi, Colorado, Washington, and

Nevada. Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut offers

seven-card stud with limits from $1-$2 for begin-

ners all the way up to no-limit. No-limit seven-card

stud is rare in America but popular in Europe. If

you’re extremely wealthy and want the challenge of

seven-card stud, you’ll need to take your private jet

to Los Angeles for the $1,000-$2,000 game spread

on the weekends at the Hustler Casino. Larry Flynt

often plays in that game. It is rumored that Mr. Flynt

built his casino so he could find a high-limit game

of seven-card stud whenever he wanted.

To quote the 1982 Ladies Seven-card Stud World

Champion of Poker, June Field, “The game of poker


is like life…the amount of effort you put into it

determines the rewards you’ll receive from it. To

succeed in life takes knowledge, experience, deter-

mination, and hard work. Yes, you’ll make mistakes

and meet with failures along the way, but these too

serve a purpose. These same attributes apply to

poker. Add healthy doses of patience, self-discipline,

and a positive attitude and you’ll have what it takes

to be a winner in life and at poker. One more thing,

the most important…skill.”

Seven-card stud is definitely a game of skill and

memory. It is not a flop game with community

cards. To reiterate the basics: each player antes

(very low limits often have no ante), then all players

receive two cards down and one card up on the ini-

tial deal; this is followed by a round of betting. The

lowest card opens the betting with the minimum

bet (or the maximum) and the action rotates from

there in a clockwise pattern. The fourth card is dealt

faceup followed by a round of betting; this time the

highest card opens the betting, but this player also

has the option to check. Then comes the fifth card

also faceup, a round of betting, the sixth card

faceup and another round of betting, and then the

last card, dealt facedown, followed by the last round

of betting. After the last round of betting comes the

showdown. The player holding the best five-card

hand out of seven cards is the winner.

SEVEN-CARD STUD 145

Seven-Card Stud Tips for the Beginner

444.In all flop games you will know

what the nuts or second nuts can

be. In seven-card stud, some hands can really sur-

prise you because each player has three downcards;

they literally could turn over quads (four-of-a-kind)

at the showdown without showing a pair.

445.The first and most important point

to study in stud is hand selection—

which hands you will choose to play after the initial

deal of three cards.

446.The best starting hand is rolled up

trips. How sweet it is! But that

doesn’t happen too often. As a matter of fact the

odds against it are 424-to-1.

447.The next best hand to start with is a

high pair, followed by a medium

pair with a high kicker. A baby pair is dangerous;

enter the pot only if you have a big kicker. Small

pairs with small kickers could lead to problems.


448.Three high cards to a suit is a fine

hand if you don’t see your suit or

high cards all over the board. Beware of entering the

pot with one high card to a suit and two low cards.

449.Example: 2«-Q«-4«. This is a

tempting but dangerous hand. If

the pot isn’t raised, it is okay to call and see the

fourth card, provided you haven’t seen a herd of

spades on the board. If fourth street is not a club or

a queen, let the hand go if it is bet. If you pair the

deuce and continue, you could ultimately cost

yourself money.

450.The reason this type of hand can

cause problems is if you catch a two

or a four. That sucks you into continuing the hand

even if your clubs and queens are falling every-

where but in your hand. If this happens, fold unless

it is checked to you and you can see a free card

(which probably isn’t going to help).

451.Many new players, or even players

who have been playing stud for

eons but have never taken the time to study the

game, play any pair. They don’t look around the

board, they just know they have a pair, hold their

nose, and jump in.

SEVEN-CARD STUD 147

452.The reason players do this is

because they have made bad plays

in the past and ended up making a hand and win-

ning the pot. To them, this is a green light to play

badly.

453.As mentioned, the lowest card on

the board starts the action. If there

are two or three deuces on the board, the suits are

ranked alphabetically—clubs, diamonds, hearts

and spades—so the club would open. If there were

no deuce of clubs then it would be the deuce of dia-

monds.

454.Keep this in mind: successful stud

players look for a reason they

should not enter a pot after the deal. Losing stud

players look for any reason to stay and play.

455.Also, if a player enters more than 20

to 22 percent of the pots he is dealt

in, he is either getting great hands and on a rush or

he is ignoring starting hand criteria. The more

hands a player plays, the worse he plays.


456.Other good starting hands are three

to a straight (J-10-9) or three to a

flush. Again, having at least one big card is impor-

tant (4ª-7ª-Aª rather than 3ª-4ª-7ª). The reason

the big cards are important is that if your straight or

flush doesn’t come, you have an opportunity to pair

a big card. To repeat, small pairs with small kickers

can get you into trouble.

457.One of the best stud players I have

ever known used to say, “If I make a

straight or a flush it is because it just happened

when I started the hand with a big pair. The only

way I would take a fourth card to a straight or a flush

is if I have all high cards and none of my cards are

out. Pairs are what you want for starting hands in

stud, big pairs.”

458.The second most important deci-

sion is whether you will stay after

the fifth card. The bet doubles on fifth street, mak-

ing your hand selection critically important.

459.Let’s get back to basics. Everyone

will ante before the deal. Some very

low-limit games have no ante, but as the limits go

up there is always an ante.

SEVEN-CARD STUD 149

460.After you receive your first three

cards, two down (your secret) and

one up, you decide if you want to play the hand.

This decision, over the long haul, will determine

whether or not you are a winning player.

461.You have an option of whether or

not to play a hand unless you have

the low card. This (and the antes) will be the only

forced bet in stud.

462.When the fourth card is dealt, the

high card then opens the betting.

This player has the option also to check.

463.The bet on fourth street is the min-

imum unless the player has an

open pair. He then has the option to bet the maxi-

mum. This is the only circumstance that the bet on

fourth street can be the maximum and any player

can make it the highest bet.

464.Example: In a $3-$6 limit game,

three people decide to play after the

deal. The low card was a 4, with one player showing

a jack and another showing a 9. The fourth card

paired the 4. That player can bet $3, $6, or check.


465.If he checks, either of the other two

players can bet the $6; if he opens

the betting with the lower bet of $3, either of his

opponents can raise it to $9 (the $3 plus a $6 raise).

466.If the 4s checks and another player

bets the $6, he then has the option

of folding, calling, or if he was slow-playing three 4s,

he could check-raise and make the bet $12.

Remember, only when there is an open pair can the

fourth street bet be the maximum.

467.When you play a hand, keep your

cards in order. It is important for all

players to keep their cards in the order they receive

them.

468.As a matter of fact, it is incorrect for

players to change the order in

which they received their cards. If you have an oppo-

nent who rearranges his cards, call a floorperson if

he continues. It is an unfair practice and a bad habit.

SEVEN-CARD STUD 151

469.Why is it so important? An example:

If you bring it in with the low card

of a 4, and a 5 calls you, he may have split 5s. But, if

on fourth he catches a deuce and places it as his

door card, and then on fifth street he catches

another 5, at a glance (if you didn’t notice his door

card in the beginning), you might not put him on

three 5s. But if that 5 was where it belongs, where it

was dealt, you should beware of the possibility of

three-of-a-kind.

470.Many beginning players study their

cards and the possible hands they

could make, while looking only at their holdings.

These people are not good players. Overall they will

be losing players.

471.A good stud player will study the

board if he is contemplating enter-

ing a pot. Only then will he make that decision.

472.Example: You have a 3© and Q©

down and a 3« up. A deuce opens

the betting. You do not automatically call because

you have a pair.


473.You look around the board. If you

see any 3s or queens your chances

of catching another 3 or a queen have been

reduced. If you see five diamonds on the board,

your chances of making a flush have been reduced.

However, unless you have three to a suit, you

shouldn’t even be considering trying to make a

flush. But, you also should be aware of the number

of diamonds that are out just in case you begin

catching one diamond after another.

474.On the other hand, if the pot has

not been raised and you see no 3s

or queens, call the bet. Your next decision is

whether to stay on fourth street. If you catch a 3,

your baby pair just grew into a big hand. If you

catch a queen you’re looking pretty good with two

pair.

475.If a card lower than a queen bets,

you should raise if you have the two

pair. If you have trips, you will want to slow-play

(just call) until fifth street when the bet doubles.

476.Always think, “How can I get the

most profit?” when you have a big

hand. It’s tricky. You don’t want to slow-play and let

them catch up, but you don’t want to run them out

of the pot either.

SEVEN-CARD STUD 153

477.Remember: at low-limit stud, play-

ers usually have what they are rep-

resenting. They seldom bluff. Example, if a player

showing a king bets, he probably has a pair of kings.

If a player catches a third club on fourth street and

bets or raises, he probably has a flush draw.

478.One of the best lessons you can

learn in the beginning is how to

read the board. This takes much more concentra-

tion in stud than in hold’em.

479.You will need to remember what

cards are out, not only in relation to

your hand but also in relation to your opponent’s

hand. If you have a pair of 7s in the pocket with a 10

up, you need to immediately look around the table

for 7s and 10s.

480.If you raised with your 10s and a jack

reraised, you need to look around

the board for jacks. If you see one, good. If you see

two, better. You will know he cannot make a set.


481.You have to constantly be thinking

and remembering. You need not

only think about what you need to make your hand

versus what cards you can see, but also what your

opponent might be trying to make and what cards

you can see that will help (or hurt) his hand.

482.I do not suggest going for a low

straight or flush. If you are dealt a

2©-5©-7©, let it go unless you are the low card

bring-in, the pot is not raised, and you catch

another diamond. If you have been paying atten-

tion and you haven’t seen more than two diamonds,

take the next card. If you have seen three or more,

let it go.

483.The reason is that if you do pair, it

will be a baby pair. Baby pairs, even

two of them, are easily beaten. Why put yourself in

that position?

484.The same holds true for a 6-5-4 on

the deal. You would need a 3 or a 7

to continue if you want to go for a straight, but I do

not recommend this. You may make a baby pair,

but so what? It will almost always get you nothing

but trouble.

SEVEN-CARD STUD 155

485.When considering going for a

straight in this situation, look

around the board not only for the cards you will

need, but also for any 5s or 10s. You cannot make a

straight without a 5 or a 10 in your hand.

486.The exception: If you are dealt a

2¨-J¨-A¨. Now that’s a whole new

ball game. Look quickly around the board. If you see

no jacks or aces and only one or two clubs, you have

the possibility of making a big pair or a big flush.

487.If you are dealt a K-Q-J, again it is a

whole new ballgame with much

greater potential than the baby cards to a straight.

Take a card on fourth street if you have not seen

your cards sprinkled around the table. If you get

help in any direction, a 10, a J, a Q, a K, or an ace,

continue with the hand—if your cards are live.

488.If you are dealt a pair with one card

up and one down, that is called a

split pair. If you are dealt a pair with both cards

down, this is called a pocket pair.


489.If you are dealt a split pair of 10s

and a player with an 8 bets, you

should raise (because you put him on a pair of 8s).

If an ace raises, that’s different; he could have split

aces, so just call. You should know if there are any 8s

or aces out, which will help you decide if you want

to continue the hand.

490.When making the decision of

whether or not to enter a pot or call

a raise, ask yourself, “Is this a mistake?” If you can

honestly answer, “No, this is correct,” then go for it.

Next card, do the same ritual. It will become second

nature. You won’t always be right, but it will pay off

in the long run.

491.In stud as in any poker game, you

can make mistakes or play badly

and win. That is the luck factor. But if you want to be

a consistent winner, you must play mistake-free or

as close to mistake-free as possible.

492.Remember also that other players

make mistakes. If you are at one

end of a table with two big pair and your opponent

is at the other end of the table and calls a straight or

a flush at the showdown, do not muck your hand. If

you cannot see his hand, ask to see it.

SEVEN-CARD STUD 157

493.It is the dealer’s responsibility to

read all hands. Always turn your

hand up. If your opponent has a four flush and mis-

takenly called a flush, the dealer cannot award the

pot to the winner (you) unless you have a hand. To

reiterate, do not toss your hand until you have seen

a five-card hand that can beat yours, no matter

what your opponent announces.

Seven-Card Stud Tips for the Intermediate Player

494.George Percy, a seven-card stud

expert from the 1970s and ’80s

wrote a poker primer in 1979 called Seven-Card

Stud: The Waiting Game. It was the primary source

for the beginning study of seven-card stud for ten

years. Stud is considered a waiting game because

you really need to wait for good starting hands.

495.Stud is also called the memory

game. If you have a photographic

memory, seven-card stud is a great game for you!

496.As mentioned, one of the best les-

sons you can learn early on is how

to read the board, but as you get more skilled at

seven-card stud you will need knowledge of your

opponents.


497.Once you figure out how your

opponents play, you have a distinct

advantage in the game. If you know a player is a

rock, you should play only great big hands against

him, and you also can often make him lay down the

best hand.

498.Example: If you have pocket 3s with

a king up and the rock is the only

player to enter the pot and he has a queen (he very

well may have two queens), you can raise. He will

put you on split kings. If he doesn’t help his queens

by fifth street and you keep hammering, he will

probably fold.

499.If your opponents are playing only

their cards (that is, not paying

attention to what is being dealt to other players)

and playing only when they have a hand, you can

do some ante stealing. Ante stealing is raising on

third street with your goal being solely to steal the

antes and the low-card bring-in money.

500.You do not necessarily have to have

an opening hand to be a thief,

although a big upcard is good to have for the visual

effect. Most importantly you need position and

heart. The thought on this is simply to stay a bit

ahead of the game if you aren’t getting any hands.

SEVEN-CARD STUD 159

501.The higher the limit game you play,

the more important ante stealing

becomes. It is of course of no importance in low-

limit games because there is no ante to steal. How-

ever, as you go up in limits, $15-$30, $20-$40,

$30-$60, and so forth, the higher the limit, the more

ante money is in the pot, often just waiting to be

stolen.

502.Remember: poker is the one area in

your life where lying and stealing

are okay. In fact, these “traits” are not just okay; you

must have them to be a winning player!

503.Example: You are playing a $15-$30

game where the ante is $2 and the

bring-in is $5. Let’s figure conservatively that thirty

hands will be dealt in an hour. That is a cost to you

of at least $60 an hour to play and that isn’t adding

in any $5 forced bring-in bets.

504.So we’ll say it is costing you $75 an

hour. If you win some hands, that’s

good. But if you add in some ante stealing, that’s

another $21 (eight players plus the low card that

you can accumulate). Done three or four times an

hour, this can really add up.


505.Example: You have a jack up and

are the last to act. No one has

entered the pot. Raise it and you can probably take

it.

506.If you are in late position to act and

can tell that the players that are

going to act after you plan to fold, raise it and you

can probably take it.

507.There will be exceptions to this of

course; that’s poker. Occasionally

the low card bring-in will wake up with a big hand,

but even if he calls, you could make a pair on fourth

street. You can’t get away with habitual ante steal-

ing, but if you know how your opponents are play-

ing, you’ll have a good feeling of when you can do it.

508.You also can steal antes from expe-

rienced players. If you act after they

do and they have folded, they simply can’t stop you.

When done correctly, ante stealing can be prof-

itable.

509.As the levels increase, stealing antes

becomes a very important strategy

in a seven-card stud tournament. You must steal in

order to stay alive.

SEVEN-CARD STUD 161

510.If you have decided to steal the

antes (and this should almost

always be from late position), and you get raised,

fold immediately if you don’t have a hand. Cut your

losses. As long as you win two out of three, you’re

fine.

511.Remember, you cannot steal if a

player has already entered the pot.

He came in with something. Just wait for a better

opportunity.

512.Always have the idea to steal the

antes in the back of your mind if

you are last or late to act. This is especially true in

seven-card stud tournaments. Get away with as

much as you can.

513.In tournaments, you can steal from

earlier positions if you have the

highest card on the board. If an aggressive player is

stealing a lot in front of you and not giving you the

opportunity to be the “thief of the hand,” wait for a

marginal starting hand and then reraise him. Try to

steal his steal. This is called a resteal.


514.Going after straights and flushes in

live play is one thing. Pot odds and

your outs will dictate whether or not you take the

gamble. However, in stud tournaments stay away

from those drawing hands if at all possible. You can-

not replace those chips if you miss your draw. It

could easily mean elimination from the competi-

tion.

515.Example: In live play if the bully

raises every time he has the high

card on board, wait for a small pair or three to a

straight or three to a flush and then pop him back.

He should back off, but if he calls and then checks

to you on fourth street—you should bet it again.

516.The flip side of the bully coin is the

passive, tight, weak player. Anytime

he comes alive and jumps in with a raise you should

fold unless you have a huge, made hand. It is unlikely

that he would raise unless he had a big hand.

SEVEN-CARD STUD 163

517.If you have to open with the low card

and you have a big pocket pair, do

not start pushing until fourth street. This will com-

pletely befuddle your opponents. Example: You have

kings in the pocket but have to bring it in with a 3.

There are two callers and a jack raises. Just call the

raise as the others will probably do. Let’s say you

catch a 10 on fourth street. The jack bets, and then

you raise. It will appear that the 10 helped your hand,

making either two pair or three 10s. If the hand is

played to the river, your kings will be a surprise.

Seven-Card Stud Tips for theAdvanced Player

518.Staying focused is important in any

poker game but staying focused

and paying attention is extremely important in

seven-card stud. Knowing what is going on and

what cards are out is an important weapon in your

arsenal.

519.Stud is very much a game of mem-

ory. You must try to remember what

is on the board in relation to your own hand and in

relation to others. Without a photographic memory,

this is not easy but becomes easier with practice.


520.Example: You are dealt a 10, a jack,

and a queen. You need a 9 or a king

to make a four-straight. You also could pair any of

your cards, so you need to look around the board

quickly and make a mental note of how many of

your needed cards are out. The cards you are look-

ing for are 8s, 9s, 10s, jacks, queens, kings, and aces.

If you catch a 9, you’ll need to remember if the 8s

are alive. If you catch a king, what is the status of

aces? And of course, you could pair at any time, giv-

ing you another direction to take the hand.

521.You also need to remember cards

that could help or hurt your oppo-

nent. Did a 7© catch a 3© and raise into a bunch of

overcards on fourth street? If so, he may be going for

a diamond flush. Have you noticed how many dia-

monds are out?

522.To be a winning poker player you

must have confidence and trust

your own judgment. As situations arise in various

hands, analyze what you believe is happening, make

a judgment, and do not second-guess yourself.

SEVEN-CARD STUD 165

523.Example: You are dealt split 10s. A 3

opens the betting, you call, and a

K¨ calls. He does not raise, so you don’t put him on

split kings. There are three other callers, so it is a

five-way pot. You have a king with your 10s and on

fourth street another king hits the board so you

know he is not slow-playing rolled up kings. You

catch a blank as does everyone else, but the K¨

catches a 3¨. An ace checks, you bet, the K-3 raises.

You have not seen many clubs out so you immedi-

ately put him on a club flush draw.

524.He catches a blank on fifth street, as

do you, but another player makes

an open pair of 3s. The 3s check, as do you with your

10s, and the K-3 also checks. He raised on fourth

street to try for a free draw on fifth street and it

worked. He catches a club on fifth street and you

catch a third 10. Now what?

525.You know he has a club flush. Every-

one checks to him and he bets; now

it’s just you and him in the pot. Of course you go for a

full house, but you don’t fill up. This is where you lis-

ten to your original determination of his or her hand

and fold your trips. Do not—I repeat do not—now try

to talk yourself out of your original analogy of his

hand. It’s time to make one of those tough laydowns.

Remember the poker adage; money saved

spends as well as money won.


526.I have suggested you start with

good starting hands, but what do

you do if you don’t improve? Example: You start with

split aces and you play them tough. By the river, you

haven’t even made a second pair. What do you do?

527.This is where knowing your player

is so very important. First of all,

check if a conservative player bets because he prob-

ably has you beat. On the other hand, if you are

against only a skilled player who also has not

improved his hand, a check-call would be in order.

528.At the opposite end of this scenario

is the instance when you make a

huge hand. How do you get the most profit from

your opponent? It depends on many factors.

529.If you fill up on the river and have no

pair showing, you are most likely in

the lead. If you fill up and do have a pair showing, the

best circumstance will be if your opponent had been

drawing to a straight or a flush and made his hand.

530.If this is the case, whether or not

you bet depends on how your

opponent plays. If he is an inexperienced player,

you may be able to get a check-raise out of him.

SEVEN-CARD STUD 167

531.If he is experienced he may raise

you, but he also will call a reraise

with his flush or straight, just in case he believes you

have two high pair or trips. He will want to believe

that you have a hand that he can beat. You may even

be able to induce a bluff bet from him if he missed

his flush but believes you are a strong enough

player to lay down two pair.

532.Bluffing is in the bag of tricks of any

good poker player, the seven-card

stud player included. You set up a bluff just as in a

hold’em game. You begin by representing yourself

as a solid player. You have raised or reraised with

nothing but what you were representing for hours.

533.When the time is right and you have

two small cards down and an ace or

a king up, raise it. The time will be right if you are

playing against no maniacs and you believe that the

other players will fold.

534.You can occasionally get a weak

player to fold the best hand. Don’t

try to get away with this too many times.


535.Example: You have a pair of 3s in

the pocket and a jack up. A tight

player enters the pot with a 10 for the minimum bet

because he has a queen and your jack to act behind

him. The queen folds, and you raise. Even if your

tight opponent has a pair of split 10s, if he calls and

checks on fourth street and you bet, in all likelihood

he is going to fold.

536.Sometimes you might have to carry

a bluff or a semibluff through fifth

street. In doing so, you may even make a hand.

However, if you bluff through fifth street and still

have nothing, but a player is calling you, it is time to

give up the bluff. He is in the pot with something.

Just check and hope he checks and gives you a free

card because if he bets, you need to fold.

537.There will be times to sacrifice

chips in order to save chips. One of

these times is a busted bluff.

538.Never, ever give a player a free card

on fifth street when running a bluff.

That is when the bet doubles and when he might

decide it’s time to give up because of the strength

you are showing (you sly fox).

SEVEN-CARD STUD 169

539.It is different being the bluffer or

the bluffee. If you suspect someone

is doing a lot of bluffing, do not chase him without

some strength. The more he bluffs, the less strength

you need—but attack aggressively. Don’t be calling!

540.A good rule of thumb for bluffing is

to bluff more at the tighter tables

and bluff less at the looser tables. If you don’t like

your table, change tables!

541.If you’re in a tournament, you do

not have the option of changing

tables. Sit tight; eventually your tournament table

will break and you can start fresh at a new table. I

have been in major tournaments and literally

waited hours for a starting hand, surviving only on

a few stolen antes here and there. But suddenly with

a little rush and three or four winning hands, you

can be way ahead of the game. You’ll go from the

outhouse to the penthouse in a period of fifteen or

twenty minutes. Patience!

542.When a player bets or raises aggres-

sively with a pair showing, give him

credit for his play unless he is a total loose canon.

Give him credit for at least two pair if not trips. Do

not stay unless you have two pair that you think is

higher than his two pair might be.



are on a straight or a flush draw and

the cards you need are live. Take this into consider-

ation: Go after straights and flushes in multiway

pots. This increases your pot odds. Going after a

drawing hand heads-up with only a small amount

in the pot is not worth the risk.

544.It often is a good idea to semibluff-

raise with a good draw rather than

to just call. This is especially true if your board looks

threatening (like high suited connectors). Example:

You have a 2©-7¨, down and your board show is

A©-J©-Q©. You do not have a made hand, but it

looks like you could have a huge made hand.

545.The exception is if it is seventh

street. Then you have waited too

long and you do not have the out of a draw. You

should have made the move on sixth street.

546.Keep in mind that seven-card stud

takes constant concentration not

only on your hand and the cards you need but also

on the changing strengths of your opponents’ hands.

Example: You put your opponent on a small pair and

you have a medium pair. If your opponent catches an

ace and check-raises, he probably made aces-up.

SEVEN-CARD STUD 171

547.From another aspect of playing

winning poker: you can be a poker

superstar but if you are not in an emotional state to

play, you will not win. A quote from Daniel Negre-

anu, “You’ve got to realize that when you’re doing

poorly, it’s often based on your mental state. If

you’re having trouble in your life, it’s virtually

impossible to do well at poker.”

548.If you have a lot of money or have

built a good-sized bankroll from

playing seven-card stud and decide to venture to

the higher limits, proceed cautiously. You will be

tiptoeing through a minefield.

549.Keep this in mind: players in $50-

$100 games are usually very sophis-

ticated and they will do a lot more bluffing than in

mid-range limit games. They often will try to use the

power of their money versus the power of their

cards, so be prepared.

550.If you are winning and comfortable

in your mid-level games, I suggest

you stay there. Step up only if you need that adren-

aline rush, and can afford to pay for it.


551.There also is nothing wrong with

stepping up limits, giving it a try,

feeling uncomfortable, and stepping back down.

The level you do the best in is called your comfort

zone. If you are smart enough to recognize your

comfort zone, you’ll be a winning player.

552.For those who want that high-limit

adrenaline rush but really can’t

afford it, play a poker tournament. You could end

up playing $2,000-$4,000 and winning a lot of

money for a relatively small investment.

553.You can be the best stud player in

the world, but if you are not a good

money manager both on and off the poker table, you

eventually will have no money to manage. Some bad

habits to avoid include gambling (sports, craps, slot

machines, and so forth). You’ll have easy access to

these things at most casinos, but they’re a good way

to squander your hard-won poker earnings.

SEVEN-CARD STUD 173

Razz is far from being one of the most popular

poker games in the world. As a matter of fact, you

will hardly ever find the game of razz in casinos or

in Internet poker emporiums. But some folks love it,

so it is often played in home games or some games

of dealer’s choice. In dealer’s choice, the deal rotates

around the table (clockwise) and each player who

has the deal calls the game. The dealer usually

selects poker favorites such as limit and no-limit

hold’em and seven-card stud, but it is possible in

one round that you could end up playing seven or

eight different games.

Razz4.

Razz is still played in some major poker tourna-

ments that offer mixed games. As of this writing,

razz was still on the agenda of the World Series of

Poker, crowning a new world razz champion annu-

ally. Ironically, this makes razz a game that is by and

large found at two extreme ends of the poker com-

munity, home games and world championships!

In the simplest definition, razz is the opposite of

seven-card stud. In seven-card stud you are always

trying to make the best five-card hand out of seven

cards. In razz, you want to do the exact opposite;

you try to make the worst five-card hand out of

seven cards. The ante, the deal, the betting rounds,

and the showdown are the same as seven-card stud.

Razz truly is one of the easiest poker games to

learn. As with all poker games, learning the basics of

razz is a piece of cake, but the nuances can be diffi-

cult to learn and mastering them is what will deter-

mine if you are a winning or a losing razz player.

If you’re looking for a fun game to add to your

poker repertoire, razz may be the one. I believe it’s

important that you know the basic principals of

razz because it will help you grasp seven-card-stud

high-low eight-or-better, which is a popular game

that is something of a combination of seven-card

stud and razz.

A Note about Low HandsYou already know what a good high hand is, but

what about good low hands? The best low hand is a

wheel or bicycle, which is 5,4,3,2,A (1). You always

rank low hands from the highest card down—the


RAZZ 177

lower the highest card is, the better. For example:

7,6,5,3,2 (a “seven low”) would lose to 6,5,4,2,1 (a

“six low”). It also would lose to 7,6,5,4,2. The 7,6,5,3

is lower than the 7,6,5,4 because the 3 card is lower

than the 4 card. Get it? With practice, it becomes

easy.

A good low hand would be a six low or a good

seven low. Although an eight low can win the hand

or half the hand in split games, don’t go for an eight

low, it can too easily be beaten.

Razz Tips for the Beginner

554.Your goal in razz is the opposite of

your goal in seven-card stud.

Rather than making the best high hand, you want to

make the worst hand or the best low hand. Players

who are running bad in stud will often try razz to

see if their terrible hands will continue coming

because if they do, those same hands will be of

value to them in a razz game.

555.Going for low does not mean a low

pair. A pair, even a pair of deuces,

will seldom win in razz unless you are playing

heads-up in a tournament or shorthanded.

556.An ace is always low. The wheel, 5-

4-3-2-1(ace) is the best razz hand

you can make. Straights and flushes do not impair

the low card value.

557.What will most often win in razz is a

six, seven, or eight low. Example: 6-

5-3-2-1 (ace), or 7-6-5-4-2 or 8-7-5-3-1. There will

be times that a 10 or a jack low will win but that isn’t

the type of hand you will be trying to make.

558.A wheel is also known as a bicycle.

FYI: The Bicycle Casino in Bell Gar-

dens is named after this perfect razz hand.

559.In razz you can make a baby

straight flush, and even though that

is a magnificent high hand in all forms of poker, it is

also a terrific low hand for razz. That is an exception

to the worst-hand-wins rule in razz.

560.In seven-card stud the lowest card

opens the betting after the deal. In

razz the highest card opens. A king is the highest

since the ace is considered low (a 1, so to speak) in

razz. On fourth, fifth, sixth streets and the river, the

lowest hand starts the action, which is also the

reverse from stud high.


561.If you are playing against a good

player who stays in on fifth street

after catching a brick (big card: 9 or above), he will

have a low door card, a low card on fourth street,

and you can bet he has two low hole cards. Exam-

ple: He has a 3 for his door card, a 5 fourth-street

card, and he catches a king on fifth street but calls a

bet to see sixth street.

562.Watching the board is as important

in razz as in seven-card stud. You

should look for cards that you need or cards that

could hurt (or help) your opponents.

563.Example: You are dealt 7-5-3. If one

of your opponents catches a king,

that’s good because that hurt his hand, and if

another opponent is dealt a 7, that’s good for you too

because that is one 7 that you don’t have to worry

about hitting and hurting your hand by giving you a

pair. You do not want a pair of 7s or a pair of any-

thing. You want low cards—the lower, the better.

564.If you are the one who catches a

king or another brick and your

opponents catch low, say good-bye and wait for the

next hand. If you chase cards in razz, you will be a

losing player.

RAZZ 179

565.Babies, babies, babies, that’s what

you want on the deal in razz. Do not

consider an 8 a baby. As a matter of fact, if you are

dealt 8, 7, and 6, as intriguing as it appears, if there

are two or more players left to act after you and they

are showing a sprinkling of aces, 2s, and 3s, again

say good-bye and muck that adolescent hand.

566.However, if you have that 8 high on

the deal and the players yet to act

have bigger cards, it is okay to take fourth street; you

might even consider raising if your 8 is down and

you have a baby up. If you catch another baby that

does not give you a pair, you should be in good

shape to continue with the hand.

567.If you catch a brick on fourth you

probably will be finished with this

hand. Remember, going to fifth street is the deci-

sion time in a seven-card game because that is

when the bet doubles. You should see the fifth card

only if it is checked to you.


RAZZ 181

568.Warning: razz can be hazardous to

your psychological well-being. If

you are not patient—extremely patient—and even-

tempered, don’t play razz. It will seem as if you will

catch babies over and over again through fourth

street and then brick, banana, brick. It’s enough to

make you pull your hair out!

569.As Linda Johnson, the 1997 World

Razz Champion says, “Whoever

stays calmest, is the most patient, and goes on tilt

the least will get the money in razz.” So wait and

watch and when those bananas and bricks come

flying at you, just muck, take a deep breath, wait,

and watch some more, and you can be a winning

razz player.

Razz Tips for the IntermediatePlayer

570.Chasing in razz can be just as

expensive (and as dumb) as chas-

ing in stud. If you are playing an eight low and look-

ing at two players, both with seven lows—don’t

chase. Wait for the next opportunity. Just as in any

other poker game, money saved is as important to

your bottom line as money won.

571.It is okay to call after the deal with a

8-7 low or even a 9-8 low provided

your opponents are high, 10-9 or J-10 and so forth.

Whether or not you call to see fourth street will

depend on how the board looks in relation to your

hand.

572.If you catch a baby on fourth—

great! As a matter of fact, a four-

card hand is so much better than a three-card hand

in razz, as opposed to stud that fourth street

becomes more important in razz than in stud. All

the better if there are not a lot of the babies you

need to complete your hand on the board.

573.Whereas you bluff or semibluff with

high cards and pairs in stud, the

scare cards in razz are the little cards. Again, bluff

only if your opponent is bluffable.

574.Example: You are dealt an ace and a

3 down and a 4 up. Naturally, you

call or maybe even raise the pot. On fourth street

you pair your 3 but your board looks great with a 3

and a 4. You are against two other players and one

catches a 10 and the other a king. Try a bluff; you

didn’t help your hand on fourth street but they don’t

know that. They didn’t help their hands and you do

know that.


575.While it is not unusual to see four,

five, even six–way pots in stud, it is

unusual in razz. Most often, razz hands are played

two or three-way from third street on. The reason:

when a big card hits, a good razz player releases.

576.Professor McEvoy says, “You never

should play on third street with a

bad card against more than one other player. If you

set that idea in stone, you’ll be far ahead of the

game.”

577.As is true in all poker games, know

how your opponents play. It can

win pots for you. In razz, if the high-card bring-in

player almost always throws his hand away to a

raise, remember that. Then, when opportunity

knocks, open the door. Example: If you have a baby

up, no one has entered the pot, and you are last to

act against this particular high-card bring-in, by all

means, raise.

578.Entering a pot with an 8 low is not a

good idea unless your 8 is the low-

est card on the board. Even then, it is better if your

8 is down.

RAZZ 183

579.Seldom will you call a raise with a

high card. The exception is if a

player is continually raising when you have a high

card and you think he is stealing. In that case, you

need two extremely low cards to defend. If you don’t

catch a low fourth street, say goodbye. If you do

catch good, stick around for fifth street. If all goes

well, by sixth street you may actually have a hand.

At the very least you will slow the bully down when

he is playing against you.

580.If you have a four-card seven made

on fourth street, you probably will

be going to the river with the hand. The exception

would be if babies are falling all around and you are

catching a bunch of bananas (big cards). If there is

a lot of action, you may decide to wait for a better

opportunity. This is especially true in razz tourna-

ments where you cannot buy more chips.

581.If you have limped into a pot with

an 8 down and two babies but you

catch a banana on fourth street, it should be an easy

decision to fold if your opponent caught good. It’s

an even easier decision if you’re against two players

and they both caught good.


RAZZ 185

582.Ante stealing is certainly a part of a

razz game but be selective. Late

position with two low cards (one being up, of

course) is a good time to become a thief. Never try

an ante steal with only one low card up (and two big

cards in the hole). It is too dangerous. An exception

to the rule is if everyone folds to your low card and

the bring-in has a paint.

583.A rough eight is like 8-7-6-5-3 while

a smooth eight is 8-4-3-2-1. If you

make a smooth eight but have some concern that

your opponent is making a seven low, don’t bet on

the river, just check and call.

Razz Tips for the Advanced Player

584.Don’t just raise but reraise as well

on third street if a low card raises

and you have three very good low cards. The only

exception is if the original raiser plays very tight.

585.Example: You have a 4 up, and a 3

raises. He could be bluffing and

with a reraise you could win it then and there or you

could be building the pot for yourself. If you are

called, this reraise also will give you pot odds to go

to fifth street if you catch a brick on fourth.

586.Some hands play themselves on

fourth street. In other words, a

fourth baby is easy to play—of course you see fifth

street. However, a good razz player will know what

cards can help or hinder his hand or his opponent’s

hand as well as his own. This must be taken into

consideration when deciding whether or not to

continue in a hand.

587.If you bet and are called on fourth

street, assume your opponent has a

good hand but not necessarily a great hand. How-

ever, if a rock calls, that is cause for concern

depending on what fifth street brings you both.

588.There will be times that a good

draw is better than a made hand.

For example, if you believe your opponent has a 10-

9 or a J-10 made hand and you have 5-4-3-2, your

needed cards are live, but you catch a great big

brick, this is a good time to go for the draw.


589.If you are playing well, you know

how many of your cards are live. If

it’s a lot, go for it. When you catch, you’re in the dri-

ver’s seat. Although this situation is nerve wracking,

you will make more money if you catch your

needed card on the river. This will give your board a

look of deception. Your opponent could help his

hand but if you catch the perfect ace or 6 (maybe

even a 7 will do it), you’ll win a big pot.

590.If a good player enters a pot with a

call or a raise, you can conclude

that he has two smaller cards down. Example: He is

showing a 7; you can bet he has two cards lower

than a 7 down.

591.If you have a beautiful low draw

against one opponent after fourth

street but catch a brick on fifth street while he

catches perfect, it is okay to take the fifth card. This

scenario changes if you are against several players

who also show improvement or if you have seen

many of your needed cards hit the muck.

RAZZ 187

592.If you played a perfect draw to the

river against one opponent only to

end up with a nine low, it is okay to call if your

opponent’s board is non-threatening or if you

believe he is bluffing. If your board looks dangerous

(7-5-4-3), don’t just call if he bets—you should raise!

Don’t give him a chance to “win by accident.” This

means if he has a 9-8 low, he may fold to a raise but

if you just call his bet when he wouldn’t have called

your raise, at the showdown he will win the pot by

accident.

Razz is a great game for a change of pace but like

all poker games, patience is of utmost importance.

If you want action, visit a craps table!


Seven-card stud high-low split eight-or-better defi-

nitely holds the distinction of having the longest

name for a game of poker. The shortcut names are

simply stud split, stud eight-or-better, or stud eight.

The game itself is sort of a combination of seven-

card stud and razz; the highest hand wins half the

pot and the lowest hand wins half the pot. The

eight-or-better means that when playing for low, a

player must make a low with an 8 or less. This is

called a qualifier. There also is a game of seven-card

stud split with no qualifier, which means that any

Seven-Card StudHigh-Low SplitEight-or-Better

5.

low will win, as in razz. In eight-or-better the deal

and the betting rounds are the same as stud or razz.

One player will win with the highest hand and

one with the lowest. A player certainly can win both

ways; that’s called “scooping the pot” and this is the

whole idea of this game. You always want to start

out with the purpose of scooping the pot but it

won’t always work out. You will often make a high

hand when you started in the direction of a low

hand or a low when you started out headed for a

high hand. It’s sort of like getting lost on your way to

a destination when you thought you knew the

direction. You get totally misplaced but somehow

you end up right where you wanted to be. You got

there by an alternative route and everything worked

out okay.

Eight-or-better is not available in many poker

rooms in Vegas with the exception of higher limit

games. One reason is that any split game is slower

than non-split games; therefore, there are fewer

hands dealt in an hour and the house makes less

money. Generally, if poker rooms spread stud (short

for seven-card stud high) about 25 percent of the

time, they also will spread eight-or-better. You can

find many lower limit, mid-limit, and high-limit

eight-or-better games in California. In Washington,

the Muckleshoot Casino offers $1-$4-$8 stud split;

in Connecticut, Foxwoods offers limits from low to

high; Bally’s Park Place in Atlantic City offers a vari-

ety of limits; and the Apache Gold in San Carlos, Ari-

zona, offers low-limit stud eight-or-better. To be

sure, if you are looking strictly to play seven-card


SEVEN-CARD STUD HIGH-LOW SPLIT EIGHT-OR-BETTER 191

stud high-low split, you should call before making

much of a trip and be specific. If they say, “Yes, we’ll

spread any game that is requested,” be certain that

the game you want is spread on a regular basis, not

once every six months or only on weekends. It is a

fun game to play at home, and you can find the

game in many of the poker rooms on the Internet

for practice.

Study and practice the following tips and

become a winning seven-card stud high-low split

eight-or-better player.

Stud Eight-or-Better Tips for theBeginner

593.If you are new to the game, you

might think it sounds like fun sim-

ply because you can play more hands because you

have two win opportunities. Wrong! If you play cor-

rectly, you probably will play fewer hands than in

stud high.

594.As mentioned, your goal should be

to scoop the pot every time you get

involved in a hand. The way to do that is to start

with three low cards that have the possibility of a

low straight, a wheel, or a low flush. Scooper! (Most

of the time.)

595.The object of this game is to win the

whole pot every time, not just part

of it. I call it my golden rule. Todd Brunson is the son

of the world’s poker guru, Doyle Brunson. I guess

you might call him the Guru Jr. He has been winning

poker championships since he turned twenty-one,

and he is an expert seven-card stud eight-or-better

player, so much so that his father had him write the

chapter on the game in his book Super Systems 2.

Todd calls the scooping concept the platinum rule.

596.Young Brunson advises, “When you

are deciding whether or not to

enter a pot or proceed to the next street, you should

always ask yourself, ‘Can I scoop this whole pot? Or

am I playing for half?’ If you are only playing for

half, strongly consider folding.”

597.When evaluating your hand, keep

in mind that the value of a low hand

is determined from the top, not the bottom. Exam-

ple: An 8-7-5-2-A will lose to an 8-6-5-3-A. If you

valued the hand from the bottom, the 2-A would

beat the 3-A, but that isn’t how it works. The 8-6

beats the 8-7. Get it?


598.The perfect low is 5-4-3-2-A. This

will usually win both the high and

the low but definitely the low. A perfect 6 is 6-4-3-2-

A and a perfect 7 is 7-4-3-2-A.

599.Now your turn: Which is the better

low hand? 8-7-3-2-A or 8-6-5-4-2?

Again the 8-6 beats the 8-7 every time.

600.One more time: Which is the best

low hand? 2-3-4-5-7 or A-2-4-6-7?

The 7-5 beats the 7-6. Once you get it, you’ll never

even consider counting from the bottom.

601.Although eight-or-better resembles

stud high in the way it is dealt and

the betting rounds, they are not related—not even

second cousins. You need to put stud high out of

your mind as far as starting hand requirements are

concerned.

602.In stud eight, the low card brings it

in but on the remaining rounds the

high hand acts first with either a check or a bet. So

your first decision will be whether you will or you

won’t enter this pot. Ask yourself, “Do I have scoop

potential?”


603.In a casino, cards speak. That means

you do not have to declare if you are

going high, low, or both. Simply turn your cards over

and the dealer will read them and then either split

the pot or push the whole thing to you (if you play

the way I tell you to).

604.You absolutely can use the same

card or cards to go high or low.

Example: After seven cards you have 7-5-4-2-A-5-A.

You have a low using the ace and the 5 and you have

a high using the aces and the 5s.

605.You should be on the lookout for

three small-connected cards (5-4-

3), three baby flush cards (6ª-3ª-2ª) or three

babies with a gap to a straight (5-3-2, or 7-5-4 and

so forth). These are the ideal starting hands because

they can so easily turn into a high (baby straight or

baby flush) or a low.

606.As in stud or razz, study that board.

What cards do you need to com-

plete your hand? What does it look like your oppo-

nents need?


607.Do not play a big pair as you would

in stud. Aces are the only exception,

as aces with a baby is a good starting hand, espe-

cially split aces because your opponents won’t know

which way you are going and hopefully you’ll win a

scooper.

608.As your knowledge increases (and

in tournament play), you can add

queens and kings. But for now, consider them dan-

gerous.

609.As a general rule, never enter a

hand with thoughts of going high,

especially with middle pair. Whether your kicker is a

baby or a biggie, these hands are taboo. How can

you possibly expect to scoop with a pair of 9s or 10s?

610.One exception on going high is with

a rolled up hand. Your goal will still

be to scoop the pot by putting pressure on the low

draws and building the pot. Hopefully you’ll either

get rid of the drawing hands before the river or they

will not make a low.


611.When you do have a big high hand

and you are against what you believe

to be a low, never assume and never stop raising.

Many beginning players will just call a bet or even

check because they are thinking the pot will be split

when in fact their opponent had started for low, made

two baby pair along the way, and didn’t make the low

at all. You’re going to scoop so don’t miss a bet.

612.Also if you believe you have the best

low, especially if you have a low

straight and you are against a low, bet or raise. He

may have a good low but not as good as yours.

613.Seldom will you start with a high

draw and end up with a low hand.

That is why you don’t start out to make a high hand.

It is much easier for the low hand to end up qualify-

ing for high than it is for the high hand to end up

turning into a low.

614.Let’s say you start with 5-3-A and end

up catching a 2 and a 4 to make a

wheel. It takes five cards to make a low hand; a high

hand can win with ace high or any single pair. That is

why you can easily “back into” a high hand when you

started out with three pretty babies. You could have

your low hand made in five or six cards and then pair,

double pair, or even make trips to make a high also.


615.Each card can bring new possibili-

ties or new disappointments. It can

make you crazy when your first four cards are little

bitty non-paired babies and then brick, brick, and

brick. As you have to do when getting aces cracked

in hold’em, take a deep breath and move on to the

next hand. (You gotta have heart, miles and miles

and miles of heart. I bet the fellow who wrote the

song with that phrase was a poker player!)

616.Do not consider any three low cards

playable. Don’t even start with three

lows if one is an 8. At best, this hand will be

marginal; it loses to all other lows, except an 8. There

are exceptions. (See Tips for the Intermediate.)

617.You may win some pots with an

eight low, but that should happen

accidentally. The problem with an 8 is that it is the

worst low. You may make an eight low with an 8-7-4-

2-A, only to be beaten by an 8-6 low (e.g., 8-6-4-3-A).

618.Now that you know what it takes to

make low hands and how to read the

board, you will know if you have made a low and your

opponents are going high. In this case, raise until your

socks melt. It is a sweet position to be in if you have

two or three high hands battling it out, and you know

you’re going to get half the pot. Class dismissed.


Stud Eight-or-Better Tips for the Intermediate Player

619.Many inexperienced stud high-low

players will play more hands than

they should because they are lured to chase either

end of that rainbow. You should look for reasons not

to enter a pot. You will be winning money from

those who find reasons to stay in a pot.

620.The single most important card in

this game is an ace. Try not to enter

a pot without one. As Professor Tom McEvoy, the

1983 World Champion says, “The ace in stud eight is

like my American Express card. I try not to leave

home without one.”

621.Of course, nothing in poker is set in

stone. You will enter many pots

without an ace, but you should be doing so with

babies. Examples: 4-3-2 and 5-3-2, and 6-4-3. These

are fine, especially suited or even two-suited.

622.While the ace is the most important

card to start with, the 5 is the sec-

ond most important. Do you know why? Think

about it. Why wouldn’t it be a 2 since the goal is to

start with three babies?


623.You must have a 5 to make a small

straight or a wheel. Note: You cannot

make any straight without a 5 or a 10 in your hand.

624.Your thinking has to do a reverse

from stud high when you play

eight-or-better. Unless you are in a stud high-low

tournament, consider big pairs (that you would love

to play in stud high) a dog of a hand unless they are

aces, preferable with a baby.

625.The only time to consider playing a

big pair—kings or queens—is from

late position against a low draw. If you do, enter the

pot with a raise. You would prefer to take it then and

there.

626.If you start a hand with three babies

and catch a fourth on fourth street

that doesn’t pair, you have almost an 80 percent

chance of winning the low end of the hand—provided

you have the lowest low. So go for the 6, maybe a 7,

and almost always avoid 8s in your starting hands.

627.That is why with four low cards,

especially if you have straight and

flush possibilities, you want to build the pot. Just be

sure your cards are live.


628.You will do less slow-playing in

high-low than in regular stud. You

will want to sandbag if you are rolled up or if you

have three baby suited connectors and all of your

cards are live. You want to encourage players, espe-

cially from early position, to put money in your pot.

629.If you help a rolled up hand, you

need to play it in such a way that

you have as many contributors as possible. This is a

case where you want the low to make a straight or a

flush. They will help you build the pot and you are

almost assured half the pot.

630.Of course any rolled up hand or

three or four suited babies can be

beaten, but you want to maximize your win rate

when you do have the opportunity. Those who don’t

maximize will win a lot of small pots and lose a lot

of big ones.

631.If you decide to play a pot whether

with a big hand or a nice baby

hand, you should believe that you are going to win

that pot. At the very least you should believe you

will win half of the pot.


632.Remember, you should seldom

enter a pot with an 8 in your hand.

The exception to the rule is ace, deuce, 8 suited, and

the cards needed to complete your hand are live. An

ace, deuce, or an ace-3 suited with an offsuit 8 is

okay. Again McEvoy says he will play that 8 all day

long as long as he has a baby and that powerful ace.

Stay in the hand only if fourth street helps you and

remember banking on an eight low is usually

unprofitable.

633.Another time you can consider

playing an 8 is if you have connec-

tors and a 5 with only one gap and your cards are

live. Example: 8-6-5. Even more inviting would be

an 8-6-5 that is suited.

634.You would not play this hand if your

suit was everywhere and you saw a

passel of 4s and 7s on the board. You must read the

board, not only for your needed cards but for what

your opponents might need.


635.Three big suited connectors is a

tempting hand to enter the pot

with. Examples: J©-Q©-K©, or 10«-J«-Q«. Do not

yield to temptation. You have nothing. Remember:

the idea is to scoop—that requires a low. (The only

way you could scoop the pot with only a high hand

is if the low doesn’t get there, but you can’t count on

that happening.)

636.Looks can be deceiving, but most

often you can tell whether a player

is going high or low by his door card. By fourth

street you should have an even better idea of the

direction your opponent is going.

637.If you have split aces with a little

card or a big buried pair with an ace

up, always bring it in with a raise. This is the most

confusing hand you can have in the eyes of your

opponents. They don’t know if you’re raising on a

high or a low.

638.If a queen or a king has raised

before you, reraise. This may run

low draws out.


639.It is easy to call a double raise if you

think you have the only low draw

and you have gobs of outs, but if it is an ace doing

the reraising, you should fold. If you don’t, you are

playing badly.

640.It is okay to enter an unraised pot

with a baby pair and a baby kicker.

Example: 2-4-2. Amazingly, unlike in stud high, a

baby pair or two pair will win the high end many

times. Of course your goal is always to scoop.

641.If you make two baby pair, be care-

ful unless your two pair are aces-

up. It will take trips, a straight, or a flush to beat you.

Watch the board and put your opponents on hands

when deciding whether or not to proceed.

642.Remember, fifth street is decision

time. If you call on fifth street you

need a good hand or a great draw and your cards

should be live. Fifth street is when the bet doubles

and to continue is to commit yourself to the pot.

643.The inevitable exception to the rule

is if you catch bad on sixth and your

opponents catch good. Then it might be time to

rethink that commitment.


Stud Eight-or-Better Tips for theAdvanced Player

644.In the beginners section I mention

playing one-gapper starting hands.

As you advance and know how to read the board

and the other players, it is sometimes okay to enter

the pot with a two-gapper if your needed cards are

live. Example: 6-3-2 or 7-4-3. You must improve on

fourth street to continue.

645.If you are lucky enough to start out

with a great low draw like 3-2-A, or

4-3-2 suited and you see none of your needed cards,

play this hand aggressively from the get go. You’re

actually betting on the come but the odds are with

you. Just in case you make a low but someone has a

high and you have to split the pot, you want a

decent pot to split.

646.It is okay to play a big pair with a big

kicker against players who obvi-

ously are going low—but only if an ace is not look-

ing back at you from their hands. These types of

hands can be trouble so proceed with caution.


647.With your goal always being to

scoop, if you do decide to play a big

pair against low draws, do so aggressively. Make the

players who are going for low pay a big price to see

all the cards. More often than not, if you are against

good players, they will fold sooner rather than later

(especially in tournament play). If they do stick

around, be on the lookout for little straights and

flushes. Ideally, one opponent will pick up a small

pair to encourage him to continue with the hand at

about the same time you trip up or double pair.

648.Avoid getting caught in the middle

but try to trap other players there if

you can. Example: You enter the pot with a 4-3-2.

You catch a jack on fourth and a low behind you

bets or raises. Let it go and wait.

649.Try to trap the players going low

with your great hands. If you

believe you have the best low made, raise until the

sun burns out. Example, you made an 6-4-3-2-A on

fifth and your opponent is showing a 7 and raising.

He may have a 7-5 made or a 7-4 but you are lead-

ing the pack with your 6-4. You need to feel confi-

dent that he hasn’t made a straight. That confidence

should come if you know that his straight cards are

dead.


650.There will also be times to allow

yourself to be trapped. Actually, you

will only appear to be trapped when really you are

holding a monster hand. Example: You have kings in

the pocket with a deuce up and you have to bring it in.

Four players limp in and you catch a king on fourth. A

queen bets and two lows call. Just call. If you fill up on

fifth, continue to slow-play. If you don’t make a full

house, throw it into high gear on fifth when the bet

doubles. The dream scenario is if you fill up on fifth,

the queen appears to be a flush or a flush draw and

one of the lows looks straight. Now you’re in the

driver’s seat for sure. Sit back and enjoy the ride. Don’t

raise until the river. This type of situation can make

your session—especially if the low doesn’t get there.

651.The only time to proceed to fifth

street if you started with a beautiful

low and caught a banana on fourth is if there is no

raise and your cards are live. Normally, three babies

and a brick means good-bye for this hand.

652.The exception is three babies and a

brick, four-suited. If you haven’t

seen your suit all over the place, you’ll want to con-

tinue with the hand. If you make four babies and a

four-flush, even with a brick, plan to take the path

that leads to the river. You have great potential for a

scooper—provided of course your needed cards

are live.


653.If you decide to take sixth street,

you should have at least four

babies. If you’re headed low or if you have decided

to take the high road, you should have at least two

pair, trips, or a four-flush. Three-of-a-kind should

have you way out front on the high end and you

have the potential of filling up if you need to.

654.Another fifth street concept: If you

have a made hand on fifth, whether

high or low, don’t raise. You don’t want to lose any

customers that want to give you money.

655.If it is checked to you on fifth and

you have your made hand, you may

even want to check along. Another McEvoy quote,

“The stronger your made hand on fifth street, the

slower you should play it.”

656.And another: “The weaker my

opponents, the more likely I am to

check in order to trap them. The more sophisticated

my opponents, the more likely I am to bet to make

them pay to try to draw out on me.” (If you are won-

dering why I quote Professor McEvoy so much, it is

because he was one of my very first poker teachers

and a very good one. I owe a lot of my success to this

one man.)


657.Get the most bang for your buck

when you make a nice low straight.

If you are against what appears to be one or two

high hands, and perhaps another low draw, just

check. Don’t raise—yet.

658.Usually in a seven-card game the

decision of whether or not you will

continue is made on fifth street when the bet dou-

bles. In stud eight it is not so taboo to fold on sixth

street if you haven’t sufficiently improved. Example:

You started with 2ª-3ª-5¨, a strong low. You

caught a 6ª on fourth. Looking good but now you

are seeing a lot of your needed cards out. You take

the fifth street card, hoping for an ace, a 7, or a

heart. Then boom, boom you catch brick, brick on

fifth and sixth. This is one of those times you should

fold on sixth. Sad but true.

659.As right as it is to build a pot when

you know you have a winner and to

slow-play with a monster, you also need to save bets

when you can. Example: You have two pair for high

against only a low. If his low cards look as if he could

make a straight, a check-call is the correct play. Save

a bet when you can.


660.Bluffing is certainly part of this

game. If you are last to act and you

have a high card, take it away. You will bluff less in

stud eight than stud high, but it is a tool of the trade.

661.Another good bluffing opportunity

is when you have an ace up with

middle cards behind you. Of course, as is true in any

poker game, you can’t bluff bad players. Your oppo-

nents have to at least be good enough to know that

in stud eight they shouldn’t play any middle cards.

662.Use deception to your advantage.

Example: You enter the pot with a 2,

and you have two 5s in the pocket. A queen raises, a

7 calls, and you decide to take one card because

your cards are live. Let’s say you catch an ace. The

bet is on you, you check, the queen bets, the 7

caught an 8 and calls; now you raise. This is a semi-

bluff, but you might eliminate the queens because

he will probably think you paired aces, and you

might get rid of the rough low because he thinks

you’re lower.


663.Now let’s get complicated. If there is

a loose, aggressive player who you

believe is stealing a bit too much, wait for the right

opportunity and try a resteal. Example: The low

card opens and you are in late position with a hand

that generally requires you to call. If the thief raises

with a jack, don’t just call him, raise him. If he calls

but checks to you on fourth street, bet again. If he

bets on fourth and you still believe he’s just trying to

push you around, raise again. When the smoke

clears you could either make a hand or get him to

fold along the way. At the very least, you will slow

him down.

664.Stud high-low split eight-or-better

is a thinking (wo)man’s game. If you

want to drink and socialize, play low-limit hold’em.


I can’t say for sure whether the game of Omaha orig-

inated in Omaha, but I’ll take a good guess that

whoever developed the game is an action addict.

Even though you will have much more action in a

game of Omaha than hold’em, you’ll get even more

in Omaha high-low, which I’ll discuss in the next

chapter. For now, the subject is straight Omaha

high.

Omaha is a flop game in which you are dealt four

hole cards. The flop, the turn, and the river are

played the same as in any hold’em game as is the

betting pattern. A round of betting follows the deal,

Omaha6.

the flop, the turn, and the river, and then comes the

showdown. The big difference between Omaha and

hold’em is that you have a lot more combinations

with which to make your best five-card hand than

you do in hold’em. In hold’em you have seven cards

to work with and in Omaha you have nine cards to

make your best five-card hand. You must use two

cards out of your hand to make your best possible

high hand. If you believe you are a good hold’em

player do not think you automatically will be a good

Omaha player just because you have more ways to

make a hand. The strategy is very different. The

game is much more volatile than hold’em. True

Omaha players love to see an experienced hold’em

player arrive in their game for the first time.

Hold’em players often see Omaha as sort of double

hold’em because they have four cards to work with

rather than two. Not! Study the following tips before

your maiden voyage into Omaha territory. Other-

wise, you will spend a lot of money (which will

make a lot of your new Omaha friends very happy)

while you discover just how different the games are.

The first big disappointment in Omaha is that if you

flop the nuts, they seldom will remain the nuts. That

can get very frustrating, but it’s just the beginning.


OMAHA 213

Omaha Tips for the Beginner

665.You will discover that there is more

preflop raising in Omaha than in

hold’em. If you generally would buy into a low-limit

hold’em game with $100, allow $200 in the same

limit Omaha game. You need more investment to

play, but your wins will be greater because it is such

an action-filled game.

666.You will notice many players get-

ting into action almost every hand.

You must have the self-control to be conservative in

your hand selection. Wait on good solid starting

hands.

667.Many hands are unplayable. Exam-

ple: Do not play if you pick up trips,

even aces. You would love to flop trips but you don’t

want to play with three of a kind in your hand. This

reduces your chances of flopping trips by 50 per-

cent. Consider this hand a no-go-so-fold. If trips are

a no-go-so-fold, picking up quads is a double no-

go-so-fold faster.

668.Other hands to avoid in Omaha

high are little straight draws and lit-

tle flush draws. Example: 8-6-5-3, unsuited or 7©-

5©-4«-2«. These types of hands will be high risk

with low profit, so don’t even get involved.

669.Do not continue on a flush draw if

there is a pair on board. Full houses

are too likely. Example: You hold ace, 3 of hearts,

and an offsuit king and queen. The flop is 10ª-6ª-

10«. Fold and wait for the next hand if the hand is

bet to you. Think about it. If the turn brings a jackª,

yes, you have that beautiful nut flush. But what

good is it if someone is holding a 10 and a jack?

670.Now for the hands you can and

should play. Always play four cards

that can work together to make your hand. Exam-

ple: A©-J©-Q«-10«. This example is a hand that is

double-suited, which makes it even stronger (pre-

flop).

671.Another example of a double-

suited hand is A-10 suited with A-K

suited. This gives you a lot of outs for big hands; trip

aces or a full house, the nut straight, the nut flush,

even straight flushes and royals are possibilities.


672.Other good starting hands are high

double pairs. Examples: A-A-K-K

(raise preflop); K-K-Q-Q (raise from late position or

call a raise from any position); A-A-Q-Q (raise pre-

flop or call all raises); K-K-J-J (raise or call raises); Q-

Q-10-10 (raise preflop from late position or call a

raise from any position). Any combination of high

pairs is worth paying to see the flop. Being double-

suited adds strength to these hands. These exam-

ples have good potential for high straights, flushes,

trips, or full houses. These types of Omaha starting

hands make your heart smile, but be sure to keep a

poker face.

673.Lesser pairs such as J-J-10-10, Q-Q-

9-9, or 10-10-8-8 come further

down on the preference list but are okay hands with

which to see an unraised flop. Coming down the

starting hand ladder another rung are hands such

as 9-9-8-8, 8-8-7-7, or J-J-8-8. These could flop

playable hands, but they could just as easily flop

trouble hands. Enter the pot only from late position

and with no raise with such hands.

674.The hands that will win the most

money in Omaha are straights and

flushes. However, do not draw to these hands unless

you are drawing to the nut straight or flush and

there is no pair on the board.

OMAHA 215

675.When drawing to a straight, try to

have a “wraparound” hand. Exam-

ple: Q-J-10-9 or K-Q-J-10. Wraparound hands are

hands that can make a straight from either end.

Example: With A-K-Q-J, only a 10 can make a

straight, but with K-Q-J-10, a 9 or an ace will make

the straight—that’s a wrap!

676.Two of the best starting hands in

Omaha are A-A-K-K, double-suited

and A-A-J-10, double-suited. Being double-suited

adds nut flush draw strength. Being single-suited is

okay too. Any of these starting hands are worth a

preflop raise. If you are not single or double-suited

with these hands, just call before the flop.

677.High cards are preferable but not

necessary. Small cards that are four

connectors (wraparound hands) or that are connec-

tors with a pair are okay. Example: 7-6-5-4, or 10-9-

8-7, or 8-7-7-6, or 9-9-8-7.

678.When playing these small or middle

cards that work together, don’t even

think about being suited. What are you going to do

if you flop an 8- or 9-high flush? No, you’re looking

for sets, full houses, or nut straights.


OMAHA 217

679.Remember Omaha is a game full of

busted hands and disappoint-

ments, so patience and perseverance are an

absolute part of your game plan if you are to be suc-

cessful. Also keep in mind that when you do make a

hand stand up, you usually will win a big pot

because of all the action.

Omaha Tips for the IntermediatePlayer

680.Omaha is a game where you want

to be going after the nut hand, not

the second nuts, especially in low-limit. Why?

Because in low-limit most players want to see the

flop; therefore most hands are multiway and all the

action builds the big pots! In multiway pots, the nut

hand is going to show up and win most of the time.

681.Many new Omaha players will play

too loosely. They will occasionally

make a hand with loose calls, but overall, their win

rate will be disastrous. As is true for the winning

player in any poker game, be wise when making

your hand selection.

682.Notice if a player is looking at the

board and back and forth to his

hand. This most likely indicates a straight or a

straight draw.

683.Stay away from the small and mid-

dle pairs. Sets don’t win very often

and even if you flop a set, someone may have

flopped a bigger set.

684.Playing big pairs is different. Exam-

ple: K-K-Q-Q is a good starting

hand because you have big set or full house possi-

bilities. Additionally, you have straight possibilities.

685.To reiterate, J-Q-K-A is a good

starting hand, especially if you are

double-suited. However, ace-little suited is not

such a good hand in Omaha high because you are

limiting yourself to the nut flush draw.

686.Consider this: your hand needs to be

coordinated. Example: A-J-A-10,

double-suited. This type of hand gives you a lot of

outs (a straight, a flush, or a full house, for example)

and the more outs you have the stronger your hand is.


687.Small coordinated cards are

playable in multiway unraised pots.

Examples: 6-6-5-4, or 7-7-6-5. If you do not hit

immediately, let it go like the cards are on fire!

688.Likewise, hands such as 10-9-8-7 or

6-5-4-3 are playable from late posi-

tion. Again, if you don’t catch a perfect flop or draw

to the nuts, the hand is too hot to hold on to, so

dump it!

689.Do not draw to a straight if there are

flush cards on the board. Example:

You hold A-K-J-10, rainbow. The flop comes 9«- 8«-

3«. Even though you hold an open-ended straight

draw, if there is a flush possibility, someone most

likely will have the spades.

690.Do not draw to a straight or a flush

if the flop brings any pair. If you

make a straight or a flush, somebody easily could

have you beat with a full house.

OMAHA 219

691.If you flop the nuts and a scare card

comes on the turn, proceed cau-

tiously. If you find yourself in the middle of a raising

war, let it go, as you are most likely beat. Example:

You hold A«-Kª-Q©-10«. The flop brings J«-7«-2«.

Beautiful, you have flopped the nut flush. However,

if the turn brings the J¨ and it is bet and raised

before the action gets to you, it’s time to take a deep

breath and muck your hand because your beautiful

nut flush just turned to dust.

692.Among his many other titles, Tom

McEvoy is the 1992 Omaha High

World Champion. He says about the game, “Omaha

high can be brutal! It’s a cold, cruel world and it’s a

cold, cruel game.” (But it’s not as cold and cruel as

Omaha split, which is even more aggravating!)

693.Your disappointment and aggrava-

tion are soon forgotten when you

flop the nuts but hold your breath for the turn and

the river and hope that no scare cards come. If you

have bet the hand, as you should have, you will rake

in a nice-sized pot. All your enemies who were draw-

ing at their hands either drop out or call your bet

with the second-best hand and you win this one!


OMAHA 221

694.Raising hands in Omaha high such

as A-K-Q-J, single or double-suited,

are preferable to a big pair with connectors like Q-

Q-J-10. If you’re in late position, you may even want

to put in a raise or a reraise with these hands.

Omaha Tips for the Advanced Player

695.If you know that a player raises with

aces and paints or aces double-

suited only, and another player with the same crite-

ria enters the pot, you may want to call that raise

with middle cards because you know where the aces

are. If you call with a hand like 7-6-5-4 or 7-7-5-4,

and flop a set or a small straight, you’ll probably

snap those aces right off.

696.Flopping top two pair in Omaha,

and sometimes only top pair when

against just one opponent, is often a good hand (top

two is of course, better). However, if there is action

before you, be very cautious if you flop bottom pair

or even bottom two pair.

697.Be prepared to dump bottom set

whether playing against one oppo-

nent or a whole herd of opposition. Remember,

there are a lot more sets made during one hand of

Omaha than in other games.

698.You should be bluffing less in

Omaha than the hold’em venues.

However, if you are last to act and you enter the pot

and flop top pair, and then a higher card comes on

the turn but it is checked to you, bet. If any straight

or flush possibilities died on the river and it is

checked to you again, bet it again, but only against

one or maybe two players. Don’t even consider

bluffing against three or more players. McEvoy calls

such a foolish move “Omaha suicide.”

699.T. J. Cloutier, a world champion

Omaha player and author (in con-

junction with Tom McEvoy) of Championship

Omaha coined the word “dangler.” It means a card

that is of no use to your hand. Example: If you are

holding K-J-10-4, the four is a dangler. The other

three cards can work together to make a straight but

the four is useless, the dangler. Even if that four is

suited to the king, you don’t want to be drawing to

the second nuts.

700.T. J. advises, “Always play four cards

that work together. Try to avoid

having even one dangler.” He calls it “the danger of

the dangler.”


701.You want to see your opponents

entering pots with their danglers.

They may try to slip in with such hands, but as

McEvoy says, then they slip right out of the game

busted.

702.Position is less important in Omaha

high than in hold’em because there

are so many more playable hands. Forget about

stealing the blinds. This is just not part of the strat-

egy of a good Omaha player because most of the

time you will have a showdown.

703.When you hit a flop with top set, a

nut straight, or flush, your question

to yourself should be, “How do I maximize my

profit?” Bet it out unless you are absolutely certain

one of your opponents will bet it if you check it to

him—and then check-raise.

704.Seldom will you check a big hand in

Omaha because your opponents

will probably call since Omaha is such a drawing

game. Another exception is if you flop a monster

like quads. Then you want to check or check and

call and try to let your opponents catch up a bit in

order to maximize your profit.

OMAHA 223

705.Omaha is an action game. Have the

self-control to wait for premium

starting hands and then if they fit the flop, play them

aggressively. You also must have the self-control to

muck a good starting hand before the turn card if the

flop doesn’t help your hand. If you can follow these

guidelines you will be a winning Omaha player.


If Omaha is not fast-paced or action-filled enough

for you, you may enjoy the rip roaring pace of

Omaha high-low split. I suggested you fasten your

seatbelt when you enter a game of Omaha high. If

you want to join the Omaha high-low thrill ride, I

suggest you buckle up, use a double harness

shoulder strap, and have a roll bar!

“Omaha high-low was invented by a sadist and is

played by masochists,” is the way Shane Smith

humorously described the game. I guess this

description originated because of the horrible bad

Omaha High-Low SplitEight-or-Better

7.

beats that you must endure when playing Omaha

high-low. Of course, if you become an Omaha high-

low player, you also will be distributing the bad

beats on a regular basis.

One of the addictive factors of playing Omaha

high-low eight-or-better, also known as Omaha

high-low, Omaha eight, and eight-or-better, are the

humongous pots that are more unusual than usual

in a game of low-limit poker. The pots can get so big

that you can literally take five or six beats in a row,

scoop one pot, and be back to even if not winners.

As in Omaha, each player receives four cards

from the dealer. As you find in hold’em and Omaha,

there is a flop, the turn, and the river with betting

rounds after the initial deal, the flop, the fourth

card, and the fifth card, followed by the showdown.

This is the point where the fun begins. You can use

two cards out of your hand to make a high hand and

two cards out of your hand to make a low hand. You

must use two cards out of your hand and three

board cards when going either way. (You cannot use

four board cards or play the board.) However, you

can use the same card to go one way or another.

Example: You may use an ace for your high hand

and then use that same ace again for the low, as long

as you use another card in your hand to go with it.

Omaha high-low is no different from Omaha in

that experienced players love to see the novice enter

their game. They may be ever so nice and polite, but

they are licking their chops and waiting for the kill.

If you believe that your experience in stud high-low

split has prepared you for the low end of Omaha


OMAHA HIGH-LOW SPLIT EIGHT-OR-BETTER 227

high-low and that your hold’em practice has you

ready for the high end, you are ever so wrong. Don’t

be the fish; be the fisherman. Read and study the

following tips and prepare yourself for an emotional

roller coaster before entering the murky waters in

the raging sea of Omaha high-low split. You might

get aggravated. You might win the biggest pot in

your poker career. One thing is for sure—you won’t

get bored!

Omaha High-Low Tips for theBeginner

706.The single most important tip to

remember about playing Omaha

high-low is that it is a game of the nuts. The second

nuts is a terrific hand in a lot of poker games, but

not this one!

707.You will be playing for the best high

hand and the best low hand. As

with seven-card stud eight-or-better your goal is to

scoop the pot. You want to play hands that have

high and low possibilities or high possibilities when

the low does not get there.

708.You will have two important deci-

sions to make with each deal—

whether or not to play the hand before the flop and

then whether or not to continue after the flop. Mak-

ing the correct decisions will determine whether

you will be a winning player or a contributing

player. Keep reading for the criteria for these deci-

sions.

709.Remember, you must use two cards

out of your hand and three cards on

the board to make your best five-card hand. You

want all four of your cards to be able to work

together. Example 3-2-A-A double-suited such as

2¨-A¨-3ª-Aª.

710.Raise and reraise with the nut high

hand but do not raise or reraise

with the nut low in a multiway pot because you

could get quartered. This means that if you hold the

2-A and that is the nut low and another player holds

another 2-A, you both win half of the low end of the

pot, which equals one quarter of the total pot. With

the nut low, you will be better off just checking and

calling. By being quartered you literally can lose

money even though you win part of the pot. There’s

a story about an Omaha high-low player who kept

making the nut low and stated, “If I keep winning

with my ace-deuces, I’ll go broke!” This is a player

who is being “quartered to death.”


711.World-class poker player Barbara

Enright has said, “The sweetest two

words I love to say in a game of Omaha high-low at

the showdown is, ‘Nut-nut.’” Nut-nut means the

nut high and the nut low. Even if a player is quar-

tered on the low of a nut-nut hand, he will win

three-fourths of the pot.

712.In Omaha high-low, if three of your

four cards are 5 through 9, let the

hand go! Do not play three middle cards, whether

connectors or pairs.

713.As in Omaha high, the small and

middle pairs can be trouble hands.

Sets don’t win very often and even if you flop a set,

someone probably has flopped a bigger set or a full

house.

714.Always look for reasons not to play a

hand rather than looking for any

excuse to play a hand. Playing too many hands is the

biggest mistake beginner Omaha eight players make.


715.Shane Smith, Omaha high-low

expert and author of Omaha Hi-Lo

Poker (Eight or Better) How to Win at the Lower Limits

preaches, “If it’s possible, it’s probable!” If it’s possible

for someone to have a higher high or a lower low than

you do, it is probable that he does. The moral? Play or

draw to the nuts only.

716.Smith also stresses the “Fit or Fold”

rule. When your hand doesn’t fit the

flop, fold. This is your cardinal rule: No matter how

pretty your starting hand is—fit or fold. If you hold

clubs and diamonds come, fold—it doesn’t fit. If you

hold high cards and low cards come, it doesn’t fit, so

fold!

717.The second biggest mistake begin-

ner Omaha eight players make is

falling in love with their preflop hands and continu-

ing to play them when they shouldn’t. If you play

correctly and patiently, you will be dealt another

beautiful four-card combination that will fit the

flop.

718.When going low remember that

your highest low card, as in stud

high-low, rates your hand. Example: 8-6-4-3-A will

lose to 7-6-5-2-A. The 7-6 is lower than the 8-6.


719.Another nerve-wracking, hand-

wringing, head-banging situation

you will run into when playing Omaha high-low is

being counterfeited. Example: You have an A-3

suited and a K-J suited in your hand, and the flop

brings 8, 6, 2. You have the nut low. A beautiful

sight…unless the turn or the river brings a 3.

Because you must use two cards out of your hand,

your nut low just went down the toilet.

720.Keep in mind, if the flop brings

three cards higher than 8 (example:

Q-J-9 or K-J-10), there can be no low. Therefore a

high hand will be scooping the pot. If that is you,

play the hand aggressively unless there are fewer

than four players. With fewer than four players you

don’t want to lose a customer, so call if it is bet to

you or bet if it is checked, but don’t raise or reraise

until the river (and then only if your nuts are still the

nuts).

721.Also note that straights and flushes

do not count against a low hand.

Example: If you hold the ace and deuce of clubs and

the board is 3¨-K©-7¨-6¨-10©, you have the nut

low with the 7-6-3-2-A and the nut high with an ace-

high club flush. Nut-nut!


722.An ace is the most important card

in this game. It will serve the begin-

ning player well to not play a hand without one.

Super Systems 2 refers to the ace as the “top of the

food chain” in Omaha high-low.

723.Double or single-suited aces with

small cards are great starting hands.

Examples: A«-A©-2«-3©, and A©-A¨-2«-4©. Hands

such as these also help you to avoid getting coun-

terfeited when going low, and they both have low

straight possibilities in addition to nut flush possi-

bilities. (As beautiful as these starting hands are,

remember: if the flop doesn’t fit, fold!)

724.If the flop brings only one low card

when you are holding babies do not

stick around for the turn. Chasing a low with a two-

high-card flop is an absolute no-no.

725.Hands such as A-A-2-K and A-2-3-

K are also good starting hands.

They become more valuable if suited or double-

suited. These types of hands give you high and low

possibilities.



726.The advantage in Omaha high-low

is that there is a lot of action, creat-

ing big pots. The disadvantage is that you can have

the biggest nut-nut draw on the flop, miss it on the

turn, miss it on the river, and your scrumptious “top

of the food chain” starting hand needs to go down

the garbage disposal. If you can’t handle the heat,

stay out of the kitchen!

727.Reading Omaha high-low hands

takes practice. No other poker game

has more misread hands at the showdown (even by

some dealers). Before playing, try this: deal out six

four-card hands and five board cards. Read the best

high and the best low for all hands. Shuffle, deal, and

repeat. When you can see the best high and the best

low in each hand within about five seconds, you’re

ready for the Omaha high-low battlefield.

Omaha High-Low Tips for theIntermediate Player

728.Your goal, of course, is to scoop the

pot when you play a hand. Keep this

in mind; a player who has decided to go both ways

after the deal does not win most pots that are

scooped. The scoopers will come either by a little ol’

wheel or by a high hand when the low does not get

there. Make sure this tip is burned into your mind

and select your starting hands accordingly.

729.All Omaha eight experts are

adamant about staying away from

middle cards—5s through 9s. Example: You hold 8-7-

6-5. Yes, you may flop a straight or a straight draw but

know this, for this straight to be possible, there are

also low possibilities: which means that if you play

such cards and make your hand, you will win only

half the pot. (Remember the goal…scooper!) Terrible

odds if you intend to become a winning Omaha eight

player, therefore consider such hands taboo.


730.Most of the time it takes the nuts to

win in Omaha high-low. To reiter-

ate, always draw to the nuts, particularly in low-

limit games. The exception to the rule occurs as you

go higher in the limits you play, or if you play

Omaha eight tournaments (in the late stages of the

event); you often will find a game where there are

fewer people involved in every pot simply because

of the cost to play. In this situation it won’t always

take a nut or a nut-nut hand to win. You will need to

adjust to the texture of the game, the limit you have

chosen, and how your opponents are playing.

731.In theory, you will see looser play

before the flop in lower limit

games, but you should play tighter after the flop.

In higher-limit games usually you should play

tighter before the flop and loosen up after the flop.

Your solid, waiting-on-the-proper-starting-hands

strategy does not change; you are changing

according to how your opponents are playing.

More often than not they are looser in low-limit

and more solid in higher limit. You have to make a

judgment call and play accordingly. I have heard of

$100-$200 limit games being as loose as $1-$2

games, but not often.


732.Keep in mind that scooping the pot

is the goal. An ace with two or three

babies is a great starting hand because of the little

straight possibilities in addition to the low hand

value. An ace with two babies and a paint is also

good because then you can go low and high.

733.There is an adage in hold’em: “If

you study long, you study wrong.”

Carry this thought over into your Omaha high-low

starting hands. If you are uncertain and have to

contemplate whether to play your hand or fold

before the flop, it’s best to just fold.

734.Many times a hold’em hand will

win without improvement. Exam-

ple: aces, queens, and kings will often win with no

board help. In Omaha eight-or-better, hands almost

always need to improve to win.

735.This statistic does not mean you

shouldn’t raise before the flop. As a

matter of fact, you should raise with your premium

starting hands so that when you do hit, you win a

bigger pot.


736.Playing high-only hands is okay if

you can enter an unraised multiway

pot and be ready to jump ship if the flop does not

help your hand. Examples: A-K-J-J, or K-J-Q-Q, or

wraparound hands like K-Q-J-10, or a wrap with

one gap like A-Q-J-10; you get the picture. The flop

will determine if your holdings are beautiful or so

ugly it hurts your eyes.

737.Speaking of wraps, beware the baby

wraparounds. Example: 5-4-3-2, or

6-5-4-3. This type of hand will most often trap you

rather than send the pot your direction. It is best to

avoid such hands unless you are in a late position in

an unraised pot.

738.Playing big cards with pairs is an

acceptable approach (preferably

from late position with no raise) but playing three

big cards with one dangler (a card that doesn’t coor-

dinate with the rest of your cards) is unacceptable.

Example: K-K-J-Q or Q-Q-J-10 are okay but playing

K-K-Q-7 or Q-Q-J-6 is not.


739.If the flop brings three cards higher

than an 8, consider that the game

just changed to Omaha high because there will be

no low. If the flop brings two high cards that fit your

hand, you need to bet or raise to try to chase out the

backdoor low draws (players who will gamble with

a low draw when only one low card comes on the

flop). Do not give them a free card!

740.You should seldom if ever raise

from up front, even with a strong

hand such as 3-2-A-A double-suited. Two reasons:

this is a strong hand and you want to create decep-

tion, and you don’t want to run off any potential

customers.

741.Conversely, if you are holding this

starting hand in late position, you

will almost always want to put in a raise or a reraise,

especially if it is a multiway pot. Most of the players

already in the pot will come along for the ride no

matter the strength of their hand.

742.If you flop the nuts, bet or raise to

try to discourage the long shots but

don’t go nuts with your nuts until after you see the

river card. Then and only then should you raise

until the moon turns purple.



Omaha High-Low Tips for theAdvanced Player

743.In hold’em you often will raise to

try to narrow the field. In Omaha

high-low that strategy isn’t going to work. When you

raise preflop, you will do so to build a bigger pot,

not to limit the field. Many good Omaha players will

do a lot of preflop raising and after-flop folding, but

when they do hit their hands, they will rake in a pot

so big a small dog couldn’t jump over it.

744.If you are in the cutoff seat or on the

button and everyone seems to be

entering the pot, there are probably a lot of low

cards out making low cards on the flop improbable.

If you are holding big cards, raise and build the pot

in the hopes that you will scoop and keep that small

dog running around in circles. (Metaphorically

speaking, of course. Please don’t put your poochie

on the poker table!)

745.As mentioned, an ace in your hand

is preferable. With a wraparound

hand such as K-Q-J-10, it is okay to limp into a mul-

tiway pot if you are in late position. If you catch

good on the flop, preferably with a straight or a

straight draw and no low cards, good. If not, muck.

746.Such high-only hands have value

when it is multiway and you can get

in for only one bet. This situation means that you

will receive a good price on your investment.

747.Because playing an ace (or double-

aces) is so important, if you are

playing in a game with knowledgeable players they

know this too. Therefore, if few enter the pot, you

can consider that the deck contains some aces

(should you need one to make your hand). On the

flip side, if it is a multiway pot, the deck is more than

likely void of aces.

748.Play your players. Example: If the

blinds are solid players and you are

on the button and had planned to limp into the pot,

but no other players have entered the hand, raise

rather than call. Why give the blinds a free flop

when, if they bet as solid players, you know you are

beat? Raise and hope to take it before the flop.

749.Know your players. Example: If a

very tight player raises, he proba-

bly has double ace suited with a deuce. So if you’re

in late position with a 5-4-3-A unsuited that you

planned to play, let it go and wait for the next

inviting opportunity.


750.Be very careful about defending

your blinds in Omaha eight.

Remember, starting with the worst hand from the

worst position is a lot to overcome, so try to have

the best of it if you defend your blind. Be less defen-

sive if a lot of players have entered the pot.

751.Consider your pot odds when you

are on a drawing hand. If you are

drawing to a nut flush and there is a low hand pos-

sibility, check to see how many people are in the

pot. When drawing to the nut flush, if you make the

hand, you will end up with the winning hand

approximately one in three times. So if there is a

small pot, wait for the next time before investing too

much money. When you win your one out of three,

you want to win a huge pot.

752.Many Omaha eight players will

automatically raise the pot from

any position with double aces regardless of their

other two cards. This is not good play. Actually dou-

ble aces with middle cards are best folded from

early position. However, if you are in late position

and are single or double-suited with middle cards, a

limp is okay. Examples: A-A-10-8 single-suited or A-

A-J-7 double-suited.


753.Mix up your play with double aces.

Raise from late position sometimes;

at other times, just call with them. When your hand

does hit, it will probably be the nuts and if you

haven’t raised, first of all your hand will have a sur-

prise effect and secondly there will be more players

in the pot, making a bigger pot for you to win. When

you miss, which will be more often than not, you

can easily get away from the hand and you got to

see the flop for a minimal investment.

754.Know when to speed up; know

when to slow down. Example: If you

flop the nut flush draw and the nut low, get as much

money into the pot as possible. If your opportunity

turns into only the low half (or quarter), slow down,

just check and call. If you then hit your nut flush

card and there is action before you, full speed ahead!


755.There are times to lay down a nut

low draw on the flop. Example: You

hold A-K-Q-3, single-suited. The flop brings 9-8-2

rainbow. Without runner-runner perfect (when the

perfect cards to fit your hand come twice in a row—

in other words a very long shot!) you are drawing to

win only half and maybe one quarter of the pot. With

three overcards, see the turn if you can do so inex-

pensively. If you get no help, fold and wait for the

next opportunity. Being able to fold in this type of

situation versus being unable to do so makes the dif-

ference in the overall winners and the overall losers.

756.Follow your gut instincts. After the

flop, if it isn’t just right for your

hand, remember the above-mentioned adage, “If

you study long, you study wrong.” Or, put another

way, “If you’re in doubt, dump it.”

757.By listening to your gut you will,

more often than not, save bets.

Saved bets in any poker game are as good as money

earned; they go into the profit margin.


758.Another way to save bets is to play

in such a way that you will get a free

card now and then. Example: You are in late posi-

tion and flop a good draw. If it is bet before you;

raise it. The message you are giving is that you have

flopped a very good hand. You very possibly will get

a free card (meaning no one will bet) on the turn.

759.Slow-playing is often a way to make

more money in hold’em. In Omaha

eight, slow-playing is never a good idea for a multi-

tude of reasons. One reason is that the majority of

hands can be drawn out on. Another is that players

will tend to call you down anyway (so go ahead and

bet your big hands). Even when you are looking at

quads, go ahead and bet. Make any low draws or full

houses pay to play with you. If you do end up hav-

ing to split the pot, there’s more to share.

760.Although bluffing is an intricate

part of all poker games, especially

late in tournament play, bluffing in Omaha high-

low, low-limit ring games is fruitless. George Elias

states, “Bluffing in Omaha high-low is as smart as

facing a rushing rhino!” In higher limits this tip may

not apply, but bluffing in low-limit Omaha high-low

eight-or-better is definitely risky business.


In the late 1880s in California, long before the

large, elegant card casinos became prominent in

Los Angeles County and before Native American

casinos sprinkled the Golden State, all forms of

gambling were outlawed, except poker. California

lawmakers found gambling to be unacceptable but

made an exception for certain games of poker. This

legal loophole resulted in a multi-million-dollar

poker industry in Gardena, California, which began

in the late 1930s.

Five-Card DrawJacks-or-Better,Jacks-Back, andLowball Draw

8.

Gardena became home to six luxurious, success-

ful card casinos from the 1960s and remained so for

over twenty years. In the 1980s the Gardena monop-

oly on card gaming in LA County crumbled when

legislation passed to allow other Southern Califor-

nia cities the right to open and operate public card

clubs. Still, only the games of five-card draw (jacks-

or-better to open), jacks-back, and lowball were

allowed. There were no house dealers prior to 1981;

players rotated the deal (just like at home). It was

not until 1987 that a variety of popular games of

poker such as seven-card stud and hold’em were

legalized in Southern California.

Five-card draw jacks-or-better (to open) and

jacks-back begin the game with an ante. Example: If

you are playing $5-$10, the ante would be 50¢. In a

$10-$20 game, each player would ante $1. Lowball

does not have antes; the action begins with blinds.

Example: In a $15-$30 game of lowball, the big blind

would be $15, and the small blind would be $10. A

small limit game such as $2 and $4 would have $1

and $2 blinds. Five-card draw and jacks-back are

both played with a joker, but the joker really isn’t

considered a wild card—it’s part of the strategy. I

guess you could call it partially wild. The joker can

be used only as aces or to complete straights and

flushes. For example, it cannot be used to make a

full house if you are holding two pair, but if you are

holding an 8-9-10-joker and your fifth card is a

banana, you could draw one card and if it is a 7 or a

jack, then the joker can be used as the jack or queen

to complete the straight.


There are only three parts to the games of draw

poker, jacks-back, and lowball. They are the deal,

the draw, and the showdown. Each game has only

two betting rounds. Each player receives five cards

facedown, and then there is a round of betting. The

betting begins with the player to the left of the but-

ton in lowball (just as in flop games); the player who

opened the betting will act first after the draw in

draw poker. With just two rounds of betting, there’s

a decided lack of action in these two games so you

seldom find them in casinos these days. But they

are fun home games for something different.

The object in lowball is to make the lowest hand

and the object in draw poker is to make the best high

hand. In all three games, the player has three options

for his action: he can pass, he can open the betting, or

he can raise if someone else has opened the betting.

Example: If you are playing 25¢ ante, $1 and $2 limit

draw poker, or jacks-back, the opening bettor can bet

$1 before the draw and $2 after the draw. The

remaining active players who called the bet (or

raised) can then discard one, two, three, four, or all

five of their cards and draw new cards. The second

and last round of betting follows the draw. Most often

five-card draw requires a qualifier of a pair of jacks-

or-better to open. If this is the case and there are “no

openers,” everyone antes again. If, on the second

deal, no one can qualify, everyone antes a third time.

The antes stops after a third time if no one has drawn

jacks-or-better to qualify to open the betting.

You can play five-card draw with no qualifier;

this is considered to be “guts to open.” This game of

FIVE-CARD DRAW JACKS-OR-BETTER 247

draw poker with no qualifier is widely known as Cal-

ifornia draw.

Jacks-back always requires an opening qualifier

of jacks-or-better on the first deal. If no one can

open, there is no re-ante or re-deal and the game

then reverts to lowball.

If you end up loving the five-card poker games,

maybe you enjoy living in the past (or maybe you

lived in the past)! Five-card games were the most

popular in the Old West.

Tips on Playing Five-Card Draw,Jacks-or Better, and Jacks-Back

761.In draw poker, after anteing and

receiving five cards down, the

action starts to the left of the dealer; if a player has

a pair of jacks-or-better he can open the betting.

762.If no one has jacks-or-better, every-

one antes again and you have

another deal. This can happen a third time with a

third ante, but then the antes stop but you continue

to deal until someone has openers. After the pot is

opened, the betting begins with the opener and

goes clockwise before and after the draw.


763.In home games if you prefer, the

dealer can ante for everyone. Exam-

ple: The ante is 25¢ and there are eight players. The

dealer can ante $2 for the table. This eliminates the

“who didn’t ante” problem but in order to be fair,

you should agree to play six, seven, or eight games

(how ever many games it would take for the antes to

come out even among your players). With this

understanding, everyone will have an equal

amount invested in antes.

764.If this is the case and no one has

qualifiers, the deal passes and the

next dealer adds $2 to the pot for antes until some-

one can open or until there are three rounds of

antes in the pot. This would be rare, but the deal

would stay on the third dealer.

765.You can check on the first round of

betting even if you have openers of

jacks-or-better. You may want to do this if you have

a huge hand, in order to check-raise and win more

money.


766.If you check your openers, you are

taking a risk. If no one else has

openers, then everyone will re-ante and re-deal and

there goes your big hand right into the muck. You

would check your openers if you had a strong “tell”

that someone else was going to open.

767.Jacks or queens can be vulnerable

hands. If you do not improve you

can lose to two little pair or better. If you are hold-

ing a hand like K-Q-J-J-10 in a multiway pot, you

may want to unload one jack and draw to the

straight, which would be a powerful hand if you

make it. This is called splitting openers. If you do

this, you must keep one of the cards facedown and

close to you to prove you had openers at the end of

the hand.

768.It is not bad to have aces for open-

ers even if you are against two baby

pair. Aces can become aces-up while the two baby

pair must improve to a full house in order to beat

aces-up.

769.The odds of improving your hand if

you have to draw five cards are ter-

rible, and four-card draws are almost as bad. Don’t

do it! (Unless you hate your money and your goal is

to get rid of it.)


770.If you open and no one calls, you are

obligated to show your openers. In

other words you cannot bluff that you have openers.

771.If you are against one opponent,

you may decide to stand pat on a

weak hand, representing a big hand. If he draws and

misses and then you bet, he should fold. Watch his

body language.

772.If someone has openers and you

have an open-ended straight draw,

dump it if it appears that you and the player with

the openers will be the only two in the pot. You

know your opponent has, at the very least, a high

pair and you have eight outs to make your straight

plus the outs to make a pair, but will your pair be

better than the openers?

773.The time to draw to a four-flush or a

four-straight is in a multiway pot. If

there are, or you believe there will be, four or more

players in the hand, you then will have the pot odds

for this type of draw.


774.If someone opens and you have two

small pair, do not raise. This is a

vulnerable hand unless you fill up on the draw. Or,

you can stand pat (take no cards) and represent a

made hand. This is draw poker semibluffing, as

your two pair may end up being the best hand any-

way.

775.Draw poker can be played with or

without a joker. If it is played with-

out a joker, usually anybody can open with any

hand. (Guts to open.)

776.A hand with the joker is sometimes

worth a raise or a reraise depending

on what cards you have to go with it. Remember, the

joker is good as an ace or to complete straights or

flushes. Often, catching the joker is opportunity

knocking. However, if you have a hand such as 9-7-

4-2 rainbow and the joker, dump it. What are you

trying to make?

777.If a player has a “pat hand” (they do

not want any cards on the draw) pro-

ceed with caution. Even if you have trips, a pat hand

could easily mean a straight, a flush, or a full house

already made. It also can mean a stone cold bluff.


778.On the subject of bluffing, if a

player stands pat, knowing how

your opponents play and being aware of any body

language that will give you a tell to the strength (or

lack thereof) of their hand will help you determine

if he actually has a monster hand made or just

wants you to believe he does. (See chapter 9,

“Tells”.) To reiterate, knowing your opponents is

almost as important as the cards you hold.

779.Remember, bluffing is an intricate

strategy in any game of poker. In

this game you must have jacks or better to open the

betting. A good time to bluff would be if a shy, tight

player opens the pot and there are several rounds of

antes to be won. Raise him on a bluff or a semi-bluff.

780.Do not raise the opener with two-

pair unless it is aces-up. The opener

must have openers; therefore, he has one big pair

(minimum) and could draw the second pair or

three-of-a-kind to beat most two pair hands.

781.When playing jacks-back, the tips

for playing five-card draw jacks-or-

better apply unless no one can make openers. At

that point the game reverts to lowball. (See the fol-

lowing tips on lowball.)


782.If you have a wheel or a baby

straight in jacks-back, you have a

monster hand in either five-card draw or lowball so

you should check and try to induce action to build

the pot. Whether you end up playing for the high or

the low, you have an excellent hand to stand pat on,

and you have deceived your opponents regarding

the strength of your hand.

Tips on Playing Lowball

783.As previously discussed, razz and

seven-card stud are dealt identi-

cally (seven cards and five rounds of betting); the

difference is in seven-card stud you are playing for

the best high hand and in razz you are going for the

low. Five-card draw and lowball work the same way

as far as making the best high hand and the best low

hand, but you have only five cards to work with and

two rounds of betting, which makes the games very

different.

784.Do not play five-card draw or low-

ball with more than eight players.

The probability is that you will run out of cards, but

if you must and you do run out of cards, shuffle the

discards and deal them for the draw.


785.Lowball played with the joker is

considered by many to be “Califor-

nia style” lowball because that is the way it was

played on the West Coast for many decades. If you

are dealt the one and only joker, you are leading the

race—if you have small cards—which is not to say

you cannot be beaten. If you are dealt the joker with

a handful of paints, muck it.

786.Pairs of course are a handicap. If

you end up with a pair after the

draw and your opponent also pairs, the lowest pair

will win the pot.

787.Aces are considered the lowest pair.

In the case of a tie, which would be

unusual (but not impossible) for lowball, the lowest

five cards would win. Example 8-3-2-A-A would lose

to 7-6-5-A-A.

788.The best hand in lowball is the

wheel or bicycle (5-4-3-2-A). Sec-

ond best is 6-4-3-2-A, then 6-5-3-2-A, and so forth.

Remember you rank the hands from the top down,

just as you do in razz. Example: You have 7-5-4-3-2,

while your opponent has 7-6-5-3-A. The low A-3

does not win. The winner is your 7-5, which beats

the 7-6.


789.It does not take hands this low to

win at lowball. Often a player will

draw one card to a 4-3-2-A and end up with a king

while his opponent takes two cards to his 7-2-A and

ends up drawing a 4 and a jack. The jack would win.

790.Straights and flushes do not count

as high, but pairs do. You could

have a baby straight flush and win the pot.

791.After the draw, the second and last

round of betting takes place. The

action begins with the player under the gun (to the

left of the button).

792.Check-and-raise normally is not

allowed in lowball. If you want to

allow check-and-raise in your home game, have it

understood up front.

793.Because there are only two betting

rounds in lowball some will want to

play with a kill pot to add action. All players must

agree if a game is to be a kill game.


794.Any player can “kill the pot” by

announcing, “I kill the pot,” and

double the normal bet. This must be done after he

looks at his second card but before he looks at his

third. (Kill games are for those who like to gamble.)

Another example of a kill game: You are playing $2-

$4 lowball with a $1 and $2 blind. If one player wins

two pots in a row, he then has to post a $4 blind (if

he is a blind he must add $4 to the blind) and the

game goes to $4-$8 limit.

795.If the kill player wins a third hand in

a row the kill feature remains in

effect. If not, the game reverts to $2-$4 until another

player wins two pots in a row.

796.Position is as important in lowball

as in any other poker game. Your

position should help you determine whether you

stay, draw, or fold.

797.In draw games you have no

exposed cards to help you decide

whether or not you should continue after the deal.

Your position and your cards, plus any tells or body

language from your opponents, are all you have to

work with.


798.You can start with a beautiful low

draw and catch a brick. Also, if

there are a lot of players in the pot that means there

are a lot of low cards out and your chances of catch-

ing a baby are lowered.

799.Having the joker in your hand

allows you to enter the pot with a

poorer hand than you normally would. However,

having the joker doesn’t always mean you have a

winner. It’s certainly an advantage to pick up the

joker but the best low hand wins, with or without

the joker.

800.The fact that a player stands pat

does not necessarily mean he has a

6 or 7 low. The following are approximate odds of

being dealt a pat hand: a pat 6 or better = 1 out of

290 deals; a pat 7 or better = 1 out of 95 hands; a pat

8 or better = 1 out of 35 deals.

801.To quote the poker scholar George

“Profit” Elias, “All pat hands are not

created equal.” Example: Two players have a pat 8.

One has 8-7-6-4-3, called a rough 8, and the other

player has 8-4-3-2-A, or a smooth 8 because it is the

best 8 possible.


802.Your turn: Which is the smooth 9

and which is a rough 9? Hand #1 is

9-4-3-2-A or hand #2 which is 9-5-4-3-2? It’s a close

call, but hand #1 is the smooth 9.

803.In lowball you need a good hand or

a good draw to enter the pot from

early position. You can raise from late position with

a weak hand if no one has entered the pot.

804.Standing pat on an 8 or 9 is usually

the thing to do if the pot has not

been raised. In other words, don’t discard an 8 to

draw to a 7 or a 9 to draw to a 7 or an 8.

805.If you have a rough 9 on the deal

and the pot is bet and raised before

it gets to you, let it go. Wait for the next hand.

806.A pat 9 is often playable from middle

position as is a pat 10 from late posi-

tion. Lower hands can be raised or even reraised

from late position.


807.Some rules to live by if you want to

be a winning lowball player: Never

call a raise if you need to draw more than one card.

Do not defend your blind. Another Elias tip, “Learn

to think of your blind as a rental payment for your

seat.”

808.Slow-playing is not profitable in

lowball. If you have a good (little)

hand, bet or raise the heck out of it.

809.If you enter the pot from early posi-

tion, be prepared to call a raise. If you

cannot take the heat of a raise, do not enter the pot.

810.If you have a wheel or a pat 6 on the

deal, don’t be aggressive from early

position. You definitely have the winning hand with

a wheel and you probably have the winner with any

6. You don’t want to run off any paying customers.

Maximize your big (little) hands. But if someone

raises, reraise!

811.Bluffing before the draw is seldom

correct unless you’re playing from

late position and no one has entered the pot.


812.Some bluffing don’ts: Beware of try-

ing to bluff a short stack. Also

beware of trying to bluff into a herd of players who

have checked to you. Beware of bluffing too often;

you will get the reputation of being the bully. In

order for bluffing to be effective, it needs to be done

sparingly.

813.If you believe a player is bluffing too

much, pick a time to raise him with

a rough hand, maybe even a baby pair. Let the bully

know that he can’t continually get away with it.


According to popular belief, the poker term “tell” is

short for a telltale sign. While a poker “tell” would

come under the heading of psychology in the

advanced study of poker, some tells can be so bla-

tant that an observant amateur can pick up on them

and put them in his poker arsenal.

Simply put, a poker tell is involuntary or pur-

poseful body language that gives information about

you to your opponent on the strength or weakness

of your hand. This is the same type of information

you can get from your opponent to help you evalu-

ate his hand—a mannerism, a breathing pattern, an

Tells9.

eye twitch, a finger movement, a toe tap, an ear pull,

or as in the movie, Rounders, licking the filling from

an Oreo cookie when you have weak holdings!

Advanced poker players will set up a tell when they

are bluffing and then use it in reverse to confuse

their opponents when they have the nuts.

Back in the days when I smoked, a confidant

called my attention to a tell I had. When I made a big

bet and lit a cigarette, it meant that I had a big hand.

I lit up in celebration, so to speak. When I didn’t

touch my package of cigarettes or my lighter, I didn’t

have the goods. That was my only tell that anyone

ever told me about. I quit smoking (thankfully) and

put an end to that particular tell.

If you believe you have picked up a tell on an

opponent, watch his play closely. When you are cer-

tain you have this tell and know what it means, use

it to your advantage. Let’s say the player to your

immediate left holds his cards slightly off the table

until the action is on him when he is going to fold. If

he is going to play, he leaves them laying flat on the

table. If he is on your left, he has the button when

you are on the cut-off seat. If you know he is going

to fold, consider the button yours and play your

hand accordingly.

Some players refuse to try playing poker on the

Internet because they insist that poker is mostly

about tells—living, breathing, looking into an oppo-

nent’s eyeballs tells. They claim they cannot play the

game properly if they cannot see the breathing pat-

terns, the faces, the eyes, the hands, and so forth, of

their opponents. I say hogwash to that theory. There


TELLS 265

is so much to the game of poker that tells alone

should not make or break a player. There is an

exception to every rule and perhaps there are some

top notch players who are huge consistent winners

because of their talent to use tells to their advan-

tage—never mind the cards, the position, or the

luck. If you are one of those rare players, I apologize

for the washing of the hogs if I offended you and

your best poker talent. According to John Vorhaus,

there are even tells on the Internet—so there!

I do not deny that tells are a part of poker. I have

picked up on tells before; however, it is not a huge

part of my game I get very busy thinking about

everything else that is going on in a poker game. If a

tell is obvious, I use it, and I do my best not to give

off any tells of my own.

I hope the following tips will help you with

understanding tells, using them to your advantage,

and making even more money.

As you study the tells below, ask yourself if you

are guilty of having any of them. If yes, stop!

Tips on Tells

814.Poker tells from others can be vol-

untary and used against you as a

tool of deception or they can be totally involuntary.

People whose hands shake when they handle their

chips or cards when they have a huge hand are giv-

ing an involuntary tell. Someone who performs an

act to try to convince you that he has either a strong

hand or a weak hand is giving a voluntary tell. You

must study your opponents in order to read their

individual tells.

815.I believe the easiest tells to recog-

nize are hand tells. If a player puts

his hands on his chips, he probably is going to bet,

call, or raise. Some inexperienced players will even

count out their chips for a bet, call, or raise before

it’s their turn. That tells you all you need to know in

order to decide how to play your hand.

816.Another obvious hand tell is the

“muck position.” If the player holds

his cards off the table, ready to release, you certainly

know his intentions. I have seen pros do this. They

are ready to get on with the next hand. This is a ter-

rible habit, but don’t tell them.


817.Here’s how to use such a tell to your

advantage: If you are in late posi-

tion with a medium-strength hand like an ace-jack

and if you know by the hand tells that the players

who will act after you are going to fold, you can raise

the pot. However, if a player yet to act is a rock and

has a hand tell that he is going to enter the pot, you

may decide to only call or even fold.

818.If you have a monster hand, you

could hold your cards in a muck

position only to raise the pot when the action is on

you. That is called a reverse tell. You can’t get away

with it often (especially in the same poker session or

if you play with the same people regularly) but an

occasional reverse muck-tell will add more value to

your big hands.

819.Beware if a player has a pattern to

his play and that pattern changes.

Often when a player bets aggressively and

announces in a clear, loud, and meaningful voice, “I

raise,” he has a weak hand and is bluffing or semi-

bluffing. On the other hand, be leery of the player

who tries to sneak quietly into the pot without

being noticed. He probably has a monster hand.

TELLS 267

820.If a player habitually looks away

from the action when he is uninter-

ested, and then he folds, you can assume he isn’t a

very good player because he isn’t paying attention

to the game. Beware of the player who doesn’t do

this usually but then suddenly he does. This will

usually mean he has a big hand and wants to

appear to be disinterested in hopes that many will

enter the pot.

821.The flipside of that tell coin belongs

to the player who looks directly into

your eyes, especially if he is trying to look mean or

intimidating. It’s as if his eyes are saying, “Go ahead,

call me if you don’t like money; I dare you.” His

heart is probably saying, “Please don’t call, please

don’t call.” Staring you down is usually a sign of

weakness.

822.Another involuntary tell is the

breathing pattern. If your oppo-

nent starts breathing rapidly after looking at his

hole cards, he has probably just looked at a very

good starting hand. However, if he has limped into

the pot and starts the rapid breathing after seeing

the flop, he probably just made his hand. Proceed

with caution.


823.When a player sighs or gives a little

negative moan when entering a

pot, again, it could be a big-hand tell. Another big-

hand tell is if he says in a meek voice, “OK, I’ll call.”

824.Listen to your opponents. If an

inexperienced player labors over

calling an unraised pot and says under his breath,

“Well, I’ll see the flop,” that is most likely exactly

what he means; he will call and take a look at the

flop. If the flop helped his hand or made his hand,

he will act accordingly. If he is acting before you and

checks, the flop didn’t help him. If you are heads up

or one other player has checked to you, you should

bet no matter what.

825.Likewise, in seven-card stud, if a

player says, “I’ll see one more card,”

that is his intention. If he helped his hand, he will

stick around; if not, he will fold. Do not check and

give him a free card.

826.If you are in a hold’em game and

the flop brings three to a flush and

your opponent looks back at his cards, he probably

did not make the hand. He is looking to see if he has

one card of the suit that flopped and how big it is.

TELLS 269

827.If a player glances at his chips after

receiving his first two (or four)

cards in hold’em or Omaha, or his first three cards

in a seven-card game, he probably is going to enter

the pot. Play your hand accordingly. If he does this

after the flop or after fourth street, he probably has

helped his hand.

828.A shaking hand from a normally

calm hand at a crucial time is usu-

ally a sign of a monstrous hand. The experts explain

that this involuntary action is a release of tension

because this person knows he is going to win the

pot. The flip side: if a player raises or reraises with

an almost rigid hand he probably is bluffing, espe-

cially if he is holding his breath or is breathing

unnaturally slowly and steadily.

829.Discovering a tell on an opponent

is a wonderful event and you

should be proud. Just as important for you is to

avoid giving any tells. As for the possibility of your

having any tells, put some thought into it. Have a

friend watch you play and see if he notices any.

Make it a point not to have any.


TELLS 271

830.With practice you can control your

breathing, your emotions, and your

mannerisms. Try playing each hand like a pro-

grammed robot, doing the same movements

repeatedly, whether betting, raising, reraising, or

simply folding. Between hands, come off the robot

routine. You’re there to have fun in addition to mak-

ing money. If you cannot control the shakes, use it

to your advantage and bluff with it now and then.

Pick up a hand in late position, any hand will do,

fake shake, and raise that pot! Keep them confused

if you have an involuntary tell.

831.If a player lifts his sunglasses to get

a better look at his cards or the flop,

he probably has a big hand and wants to be sure of

what he is seeing. Like, “Wow, I can’t believe I

flopped a set.” Then he will go back to being coy

behind his sunglasses.

Introducing Mike Caro

In 1984, Mike Caro, a tremendous poker scholar and

teacher, had his book Caro’s Book of Tells published.

Believe me, yesteryear’s tells are still alive, well, and

on the mark in today’s poker world. His poker sem-

inars are profound, he is unconventional, but his

teaching is distinct and clear. I learned the following

tells direct from the genius. I’m constantly amazed

at just how factual his studies are.

832.Players often stack chips in a man-

ner directly indicative of their style

of play. Neatly stacked and organized chips mean a

conservative player; sloppy means a sloppy player.

Chips haphazardly stacked usually mean a careless

player.

833.In the absence of indications to the

contrary, call any bettor whose

hand covers his mouth. This is not 100 percent fool-

proof, but often a player will put his hand to his

mouth (as in real life) if he isn’t telling the whole

truth.

834.Generally, a genuine smile means a

genuine hand and a forced smile is

a bluff. The friendlier a bettor is, the more apt he is

to be bluffing.

835.If a player acts weak, he probably

has a strong hand. If he acts strong,

his hand is most likely weak. Don’t fall for it and you

will save money.

836.Two other signs of weakness: Play-

ers staring at their chips are usually

holding a weak hand; players reaching for their

chips out of turn are usually weak.


837.If a player bets and then looks back

at his hand as you reach for your

chips, he is probably bluffing. A forceful or exagger-

ated bet usually means weakness and a gentle bet

usually means strength.

838.If a player looks and then checks

instantly, it’s unlikely that he

improved his hand. If a player looks and then bets

instantly, it’s unlikely that he is bluffing.

839.Players staring at you are usually

less of a threat than players staring

away. Beware of sights and sounds of sorrow.

840.Last, but certainly not the end from

the mad genius: players are either

acting or they aren’t. If they are acting, decide what

they want you to do and then disappoint them.

TELLS 273

I was born, raised, and educated in Nashville,

Tennessee. As an adult, I lived in Atlanta, Georgia,

for fifteen years prior to my move to Las Vegas to

pursue a career in playing poker and writing about

it. Of those years my fondest memories are

Christmas, family reunions, and home poker

games. As a child I had to sneak to play poker along

with my male cousins. We lived in the Bible Belt.

Our parents believed poker was gambling, gam-

bling was sinful, and if you sinned you would go to

hell! We would have weekend poker marathons in

the garage. Our parents thought we were playing

Home Games10.

monopoly, a reasonable assumption since we

played poker on a monopoly board using monopoly

money as a camouflage.

I was all grown up and married when I moved to

Atlanta where my husband and I played in a poker

club twice a month. How I looked forward to those

games! Our poker nights were a wonderful social

outlet. Poker was something I was good at, a pas-

time my husband and I could enjoy together and an

activity I loved to do and could make money doing.

We played dealer’s choice (the deal rotates around

the table clockwise and the dealer gets to choose

the game). I was never fond of goofy games—spit in

the ocean, baseball, crisscross, or zigzag. I wanted

to play real poker games like seven-card stud, five-

card draw, and Texas hold’em. I couldn’t win consis-

tently with the silly games or the wild card games.

There was too much luck involved.

It seemed I had a natural ability when it came to

the ins and the outs of “real” poker. I loved the com-

petition. I loved knowing what some friends were

holding because I knew exactly how they played,

and I loved seeing my poker stash grow month after

month. Still, even all grown up, I didn’t want my

folks to know about my sinful ways.

In 1975 I was thrilled to find out that a private

club in our area held regular poker games. I was

devastated to discover that no women were

allowed. I eventually brought my stash (which I

found out was called a bankroll) to Las Vegas only to

learn how little I knew about playing “real” poker.

For a year I had a ball playing, and my spouse


pressed $50 a week into my palm for my poker

entertainment money. It was only after I lost my

husband that I was forced to face reality—I had

some choices to make when it came to my poker

playing. I either had to learn how to win (I knew it

could be done because I had watched others win

consistently) or at the very least I had to learn how

to stop losing. When I faced that realization, I began

a serious study of the games.

In my Atlanta days I had never heard of poker

tournaments or no-limit hold’em. After my move to

Vegas, I discovered poker tournament competition

and appreciated the idea of the tremendous overlay.

I could take $15 into a weekly tournament and

occasionally, when I got lucky, come home with

$500 or more. It didn’t take many weekly wins to

stay ahead.

At this time, the mid-eighties, there weren’t

many major tournaments around, and of the few

that existed, the buy-in was often out of reach. To

overcome this, I started a home poker club, and we

would play satellites for seats in some of these

events. Our winner played as a partner for all of us

and if that person finished in the money, 50 percent

went to the winner and 50 percent went to the rest

of the club members to be divided equally. The first

time I won our home competition and got to play in

a “real” poker tournament, I won $8,000 for us! I was

thrilled—and I have been hooked on poker tourna-

ments ever since.

Here are some tips for running a good home

poker club. Have a ball!

HOME GAMES 277

Tips on Home Games

841.First, you need to organize a poker

club—couples, singles, or mixed. In

this day and age, finding eight or nine friends who

love to play poker should not be difficult.

842.Second, if you don’t have clay poker

chips, good cards, and a felt table

cover, get online and go shopping. No old-time

plastic chips, please. If you ultimately decide to

hold one-table tournaments or satellites you also

will need a good timer clock. You can find them at

any electronics store.

843.In establishing a poker club, you can

move your gatherings from home to

home, or elect one player who may have the best

environment (like a game room with a real poker

table) to host the poker gathering. If that is the case,

a different club member should supply the drinks

and snacks each time you meet. It isn’t fair to put this

responsibility on one individual or on one couple.


844.If you are so inclined, give your

poker club a name, and nicknames

are always fun. Prior to your first game, have a poker

discussion and talk about what games you want to

play and what games you don’t want to play. Every-

one should have a general understanding of how to

play your chosen games.

845.Host a poker seminar prior to your

first poker party. Have everyone

buy 1,000 Best Poker Strategies and Secrets for their

reference book.

846.In home games you can play any

poker game; however I recommend

only “real” poker games. This book tells you how to

play a variety of games. One game that does not

have its own chapter is HORSE. This is a combina-

tion of the games hold’em, Omaha, razz, stud

(seven-card stud high), and eight-or-better Omaha.

They are played in the order listed.

HOME GAMES 279

847.Another popular multiple game is

HOSE, which combines hold’em,

Omaha, stud, and eight-or-better (stud). Although

you seldom find HORSE and HOSE in casinos, you

can request them at the major tournaments, and

they usually are played at high limits. It is fun to

play a variety of games if everyone agrees to play all

four or five of them.

848.Someone will need to act as the

banker before your game starts.

The banker will sell chips for money. Be prepared

with change for $100 or silver change if you are

going to play nickel, dime, quarter. At the end of the

evening, the banker will then buy the chips back.

849.If you want to take your poker club

one step further, you can offer

satellites for major tournaments. Elect a president

and the most important officer of your club, the

treasurer.

850.Take a vote on which tournament

you would like to send a represen-

tative to. Next, figure the buy-in you will need to

achieve this goal. Be sure to include reasonable

travel expenses.


851.If you live in Memphis, Tennessee,

for example, go online and check

the major poker tournament schedule in nearby

Tunica, Mississippi, rather than someplace far off

like Las Vegas. You might pick Jack Binion’s annual

World Poker Open, the $10,000 championship event.

852.If you’re all rich, you can have a sin-

gle one-table satellite with ten play-

ers and charge your players $1,000 each. The winner

will not need travel expense money since Memphis

is just a hop, skip, and a jump from Tunica.

853.If you’re not rolling in dough, break it

up into weekly or monthly satellites.

This is where your treasurer will be so important.

854.Let’s say yours is a monthly club

with ten members. Each month,

each member will pay $100 towards the tourna-

ment buy-in. (You can begin these evenings with

the continuing contest and end them with real

money games, or play the real money games as part

of the contest.) You will keep a big score board.

Using a point system, one point will be awarded to

the first player eliminated, two points to the second,

on up to ten points for the winner. You accumulate

your points and at the end of ten months, the player

with the most points wins the $10,000 seat.

HOME GAMES 281

855.If you want to play for the $10,000

buy-in for the WSOP in Las Vegas

but don’t live nearby, figure in an amount for trans-

portation and accommodations for the winner.

With that in mind, your buy-in could be $110 per

game, or if you play every other week it would be

$55.

856.I am familiar with a poker club in

Kokomo, Indiana, called the “Top

Ten Club.” They have a logo, jackets, shirts, and

hats—the works. They play weekly and accumulate

enough money during the course of a year to send

their biggest winning player to Las Vegas for a week

to play in the big event of the WSOP and have every

member of the club come along as the cheering

gallery.

857.Another good idea is to have your

winner play for 50 percent of the

prize pool of your chosen major tournament with

the other 50 percent being divided among the

remaining players. That way, if your club has a win-

ner, everyone wins!


858.The division of any win should be up

for discussion. Your players may

prefer 60-40 or 70-30; they may even vote for winner-

take-all but it sure is fun to have partners. At many

major tournaments I will see a player on a cell report-

ing to the poker club back home how he/she is doing.

Great, positive, long-distance energy.

859.You may prefer to send several

players to a major tournament to

play some of the preliminary events with buy-ins

ranging from $500 to $5,000. Be creative. This could

ultimately be a moneymaking proposition for your

club.

860.When playing satellite poker at

home, the only problem is that

when one or two players are eliminated, their

evening of poker is over. Have two poker tables set

up for just this instance. Eliminated players can

play together outside the confines of your tourna-

ment.

861.When the first player is eliminated,

have him be the dealer. After three

or more are out, start your second game for real

money. You might win your buy-in back!

HOME GAMES 283

862.If you have a passel of poker-playing

friends and are energetic, enthusi-

astic, and motivated, start a poker league. For a

poker project of this magnitude, you will need sev-

eral leaders.

863.Mirror a bowling league. Local

businesses can sponsor a team of

poker players. The cream will rise to the top to play

in a playoff with other league winners. It can stop

there or go further, sending the top players to a

major tournament. Imagine the excitement if the

front page of your hometown newspaper screamed,

“Nuts McGraw of the Squirrel Creek Hardware Store

Poker Team Wins the World Series of Poker!”

864.Here are some other poker club

ideas. Have a potluck dinner and

poker night. Hire one or two baby-sitters (paid for

out of poker money, of course) and have all the kids

stay together in one home. That way the kids also

get to have a special night of fun.


865.If there are teenagers available (in

addition to the baby-sitters) and

interested, teach them to deal (they may already

know how as so many young people are playing

poker these days). All players should put a set

amount of money ($3 to $5 each or more depending

on how many hours the kids work and how many

players belong to your club) into the dealer/baby-

sitter fund. Like baby-sitting, a teen can make some

spending money with his “part-time gig.”

866.If you send a member of your club

to a major event and he does well,

be sure to let me know…it will look good on my

résumé! Good luck!

867.The following is a good no-limit

hold’em structure for a poker satel-

lite or tournament. If you use this structure and

have twenty-minute rounds, your satellite should

last a total of approximately four hours.

HOME GAMES 285

868.The faster a tournament or satellite

goes the more the luck factor

comes into play. The longer it lasts, the more impor-

tant the skill factor. If you need to shorten the time

period, cut the rounds to fifteen minutes and elim-

inate a few of the rounds. Add your potty breaks at

will; usually every third round is often enough. Stop

the clock and take five.

869.Start each player with $1,000 in

chips. (You can start with more but

it will lengthen the time of your competition.)

Satellite Tournament Structure


Round1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

Ante$25

$50

$75

$100

$100

$200

$300

$400

$600

$1K

$2K

$3K

$4K

$6K

Small Blind$50

$100

$150

$200

$200

$400

$600

$800

$1,200

$2K

$4K

$6K

$8K

$12K

Big Blind$0

$0

$0

$0

$25

$25

$50

$75

$100

$200

$400

$600

$800

$1K

The first Internet poker (IP) emporium opened in

1999, experienced great success, and the concept

has grown beyond belief in popularity. As the poker

phenomenon spread across the world, so did IP.

Anyone with the desire, a computer (or access to

one), and a love for the game can be playing in

cyberspace within minutes. They can play for free,

for pennies, dollars, or millions of dollars via

satellite tournaments. If Internet poker had been

around in 1985, I might still be living in Atlanta,

Georgia, rather than Las Vegas where I visited

regularly and eventually moved to in order to play

InternetPoker

11.

poker. Internet poker is the absolute nuts for any-

one interested in learning poker, playing poker,

practicing poker, teaching poker, or for those who

love the challenge of playing poker but do not live

in an area where they can easily get to their local

casino or public cardroom to participate. That’s the

good news. The bad news is that many things

people enjoy safely in reasonable quantities can

become addictive, and Internet poker is now on

that danger list. In all fairness, folks with addictive

personalities can get addicted to all sorts of

things—activities, exercise, food, drink, drugs, even

religion. Any addiction can wreak havoc on families

and relationships, so it’s important to keep IP

playing to a safe and fun level.

For more information or for help with problem

gambling, you can contact the National Council on

Problem Gambling (confidential 24-hour hotline:

800-522-4700) or Gamblers Anonymous (213-386-

8789; www.gamblersanonymous.org).

There are, of course, plenty of good things about

Internet poker. You don’t have to shower and get

fixed up to go out in public; you can play in your

pajamas or naked if you so desire, unless you live in

a glass house. You don’t have to drive, park, walk, or

tip. If you’re a smoker, you can smoke! If you’re not

a smoker, you don’t have to put up with the smell or

the secondhand smoke.

The games are much faster than casino games

and you can play more than one game at a time if

you desire. You can parlay a little bitty bit of money

in online play to humongous land-based poker


tournaments where you can win mega-millions if

you are one of the lucky ones!

I know a man who was rendered a quadriplegic

due to an accident in 1997. He was a strong, ener-

getic, motivated, active young man before the acci-

dent. Understandably, he became withdrawn and

depressed after. He told me he had wanted to kill

himself but found it impossible without the use of

at least one limb or even one hand and with no one

who would agree to assist him. In 1999, his church

took up a collection and bought him a computer.

He learned to operate it by using a point stick held

between his teeth. This was the beginning of a new

life for him. He now has a voice-operated computer.

He can write, correspond with friends, and travel

the world via cyberspace. Anything he is interested

in, he can research and learn more about. He dis-

covered a new passion when he found poker on the

Internet. One of the activities he most missed after

his accident was his weekly poker game with his

buddies, even though his friends brought the game

to him now and then. He now has access to poker

anytime he takes a notion to play and no one has to

hold his cards or handle his chips for him. I’m sure

there are many stories about Internet poker being a

God-sent activity for shut-ins.

Unfortunately, there is a possibility of collusion

between two players or a whole herd of players

online, but this doesn’t bother me much at all. I

know too many people who are good poker players

who win fair and square regularly and I personally

know folks who are involved on the “inside” of

INTERNET POKER 289

Internet poker and they have explained to me the

systems that are in place to monitor players. If they

believe there is any collusion going on, or any mon-

key business at all, they take immediate steps to put

a stop to it. The Internet poker rooms are making

way too much money to allow any bad press or neg-

ative gossip. They want their sites to be as clean as a

whistle with immaculate reputations so players will

want to keep playing there.

Now back to the good stuff! There is a tremen-

dous selection of games and limits to choose from

online. If you can’t find what you’re looking for at

one site, you can jump to another with the click of a

mouse. And with the anonymity of playing online,

your opponents won’t know who the donkey is

when you make a bonehead play, so you can’t

embarrass yourself.

Respected poker genius and elder statesman of

poker Doyle Brunson, author of Doyle Brunson’s

Super System and Doyle Brunson’s Super System 2

has said, “What took me decades to learn, these kids

can get on the Internet. What I learned by brute

force, dealing out hands, they learn on computers.

It tends to make for fairly technical players, but they

make up for it with aggression, the kind that comes

when you learn things fast.”

Fast indeed, consider this: an online site can

generate ten thousand hands a week. By contrast a

pro playing in a casino gets in about thirty thousand

hands a year. In a game where experience is so

important, this speed teaches new players quickly

what the old pros had to work for years to learn.


INTERNET POKER 291

As you can see, I am a big fan of Internet poker

and I believe the good far outweighs the bad. With

that in mind, do yourself a favor. If you have not yet

discovered playing real poker online in the comfort

of your own home, don’t waste another minute.

First read this chapter, which will make your first

visit much easier. We won’t go into much game

strategy as we have already covered that in preced-

ing chapters. How to play winning poker online is

the same as how to play winning poker in brick-

and-mortar poker rooms or in your home games.

Playing winning poker is playing winning poker

wherever you choose to play.

If after reading this chapter you would like more

great online poker information, pick up a copy of

Killer Poker Online by John Vorhaus and Internet

Texas Hold’em by Matthew Hilger, both of which I

highly recommend. You’ll LOL (laugh out loud)

while reading Vorhaus and learn all there is to know

about the mechanics of online poker as well as gobs

of great strategy. Hilger will instruct you on how to

win at Texas hold’em online (or you can choose to

use his theories in brick-and-mortar rooms).

Welcome to the wonderful world of Internet

poker.

Tips for Playing Poker on the Internet

870.Before deciding to play poker on the

Internet, take a good long, look at

yourself. If you have an anger management problem

or are highly emotional, don’t play. Computers are

expensive and if you throw one out the window or

take a sledgehammer to it after a series of bad beats,

Internet poker may not be for you. I actually know a

young man who buys mice (or is that mouses?) by

the dozen. His frustration comes out in the form of

slamming his mouse down so hard that he breaks it.

He also has thrown a few of them against the wall so

hard that they dent the wall and fall to the floor in

pieces (like it was the poor little mouse’s fault). He

fusses and cusses, fumes and spews—and then goes

right back for more. Of course, he does one hell of a

happy dance when he wins. I’m not sure which he

does the most, abuses his mouse or dances.

871.One more warning: if you get hooked

on Internet play, the day will come

when, at a key moment, in a key hand, your computer

will crash and burn. It may be something simple or

something major, but the timing will suck and you will

get upset. If you can handle the infrequent hazards of

cyberspace poker then please proceed. (Get good and

you could have a standby laptop, paid for with win-

nings, at the ready for just such a wretched mess.)


872.A computer glitch is one of the

biggest differences in Internet and

live poker. The only way such an unforeseen inci-

dent could happen in a B&M room is if you dropped

dead at the table. If this happened, I assure you that

some smart-ass player would ask if your hand were

also considered dead, especially if you had a death

grip on the winning hand.

873.Visit several (or dozens) of the

Internet poker sites before starting

to play. They come in all sizes: super-size, large,

medium, and small. Once you are on the site, click

around, look at the games, and check out the

options. Just like with other sites, the more you

click, the more you will learn.

874.All of the rooms will have hold’em

and no-limit hold’em. If you are

looking specifically for Omaha, seven-card stud, stud

high-low, or other games, you’ll need to visit some of

the larger rooms. The largest sites are partypoker.com,

ultimatebet.com, and pokerstars.com. For medium

and small Internet poker rooms, jump on a search

engine and see what you find. There are passels of

them, and you may find your comfort level there.

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875.I often will visit one of the smaller

rooms if I want to play a tourna-

ment with one hundred or fewer players. There are

Internet poker tournaments with one thousand,

even two thousand-plus players. I played in one

with five thousand players, which was the maxi-

mum number of players they could accommodate.

The reason for the multitude of players was the

price…it was free!

876.There is a wide array of options

available to you at most IP sites—

from sound effects (some dealers actually speak

while some sites will beep when it is your turn),

backgrounds, the chat feature, (yes, you can chat

with your fellow players), avatars (a character you

may choose on some sites to represent you on

screen), to the color of the deck of cards. If you have

a question and you can’t find the answer, go to “con-

tact us,” email them, and they will respond. Do this

with a variety of sites and then decide where you will

first play Internet poker and get ready for a treat.


877.Once you choose a site where you

want to play, download the soft-

ware. To best play poker on the Internet, you will

need Windows 95 or above, 100-MHz Pentium or

faster CPU with at least 32 MB of RAM, screen reso-

lution of at least 800 by 600 pixels with 256 colors,

and 6 MB of free disk space. A PC is much better for

poker play than a Mac and this is stated with no

offense meant to Apple products. It’s just a fact of

life. (Thank you, John Vorhaus, for this information.)

878.If you don’t understand the last tip

(frankly, neither do I except the PC

versus Mac part), just pick a site that looks interest-

ing and follow the directions for downloading.

Believe me, if I can do it, you can do it!

879.Having a cable or a satellite modem

is the best set up. The higher the

speed the better; however, you can use dial-up. I

have known many players who started out playing

poker online with their dial-up connection. It works,

but you have to be patient when making the initial

connection. Once these individuals got hooked on

playing online they switched to the highest speed

cable they could find, paid for with winnings!

INTERNET POKER 295

880.Make the decision about which

room your premier online poker

experience will take place in and then register there,

and choose an online identity and password. The

site will ask for some information through a mini-

mal sign-in procedure, which will allow you to par-

ticipate with play money. This is a great teaching

and learning tool.

881.I strongly suggest that once you

decide that you want to play poker

online you keep a file or an index card in your safe or

in a safe place with information on each site where

you play. Keep your screen name and password for

that location on each site’s card or file. You probably

won’t stay on just one site and your screen name and

passwords will in all likelihood change. I am

registered on a dozen sites and if I don’t visit one for

weeks or even months at a time, I’ll often go back

only to go blank on who I am at that particular site.


882.When you choose a screen name,

many of the names like TheNuts,

Champ, Kissmyace, RiverRat, and so forth will be

taken. Come up with your own. You may or may not

want to be gender specific: MsWildCard or Milwau-

keeStud. You may or may not want to be age specific

like, Soccermom, CollegePkrGenius, PrettyGirl23 or

aces4Grandpa. I know a gruff seventy-eight-year-

old male pro player whose screen name is Daffodil.

Once you have registered you are ready to play.

883.Begin in the free games. I don’t care

if you are an advanced poker player

and the best player in your hometown. You need to

begin in the free games to get the feel for how to

play poker in cyberspace. The speed with which the

hands are dealt will be a surprise to you. Learn what

to click to call, raise, reraise, fold, or be dealt out

while you go potty, put the laundry in the dryer, or

grab a quick snack.

884.The free game is also the place to

test out all the options you will have

to chose from. You may find you prefer a purple

table top to red or the blue deck to the green. Try all

the options just to see what is available. You may

want to chat or chatting might annoy you, so you

will want to know how to turn it off.

INTERNET POKER 297

885.Once you’re finally ready to play for

real money, you need to open an

account. Go to the cashier and again follow the

instructions. At this point you will be asked for more

pertinent information. There are a number of ways

to fund an account. This process can take from min-

utes to a week or more, depending on how you

choose to go about it. You can use a credit card. You

can also send a bank draft, a cashier’s check, or a

money order to the site, but these methods all take

time. If you choose one of these methods, that’s

fine. You can continue to play, practice, and learn in

the “Monopoly money” games while you wait for

your real money to be received.

886.There is a service offered on the

Internet that is sort of a cyberspace

bank. It’s an online holding house for your money,

which allows you to have cash at hand for when and

where you might need it in an instant, sort of an

online ATM. If you shop online, you may have

already discovered Firepay or NETeller, the funding

routes that I recommend. Again, the cashier will

direct you on how to open this type of account.


887.It will take a few days to get these

options set up, but it will be worth

the wait over the long run. Once they are set up,

depositing or withdrawing money is quick as a snap.

888.Be sure to look for deposit bonus

promotions before depositing any

money. There is almost always a promotion for a

new player or any player who needs to “reload” his

account. No need to miss out on free money or free

stuff.

889.Even though you have had practice

in the “play money” games, be

careful and pay attention now that you’re ready to

join the game for real money. Watch where your

arrow is located and remember how easy it is to

click…the wrong button.

INTERNET POKER 299

890.True story: I have a friend who was

playing in one of the bigger online

tournaments. She had played a flawless game for

four hours and was delighted to be on the final table

with a healthy chip stack. Her cat ran across her lap-

top, which clicked on the “Call” button (this could

have been avoided if she had the arrow away from

any of the action buttons). She called an all-in bet

with a 3-9 offsuit and lost all her money. She won

money for her seventh place finish, but she was on

her way to a much greater win. The chat went wild,

players and observers couldn’t imagine what had

gotten into her. She meekly typed, “The cat did it.”

(Personally, I might have been scrapping cat guts off

the wall. I’m joking, cat lovers! But if it happened

with my beloved poochie, losing thousands, maybe

even tens of thousands, would have given me

puppy-throwing thoughts.) The moral to this sad

story: pay attention and watch that action arrow!

891.Begin your real money play in the

low limits and remember, just as in

brick-and-mortar poker rooms, play only with money

you could afford to flush. As you gain experience and

build your bankroll, you can move up in limits.


892.Mathew Hilger, a professional

Internet poker player and author of

Internet Texas Hold’em, suggests the following rec-

ommended bankrolls if you plan to play a lot (this

scale is based on playing one hundred hours or

more). For $.50-$1 limit games, a $500 bankroll; for

$1-$2 games, an $800 bankroll; for $2-$4 games, a

$1,200 bankroll; for $3-$6 games, a $1,800 bankroll;

for $5-$10 games, a $2,500 bankroll; for $10-$20

games, a $5,000 bankroll; for $15-$30 games, a

$7,500 bankroll; and for $20-$40 games, a $10,000

bankroll. The ideal scenario is to begin play at the

low limits (there are games that can be played for

pennies if you desire) and move on up as your

bankroll grows from your poker prowess.

893.Remember, just as in B&M poker

establishments, you can change

tables. If you are not comfortable in your game or

the limit you are playing, bow out with a click, go to

the lobby, and find another game. Likewise, if you

don’t see a game that tickles your fancy, go to

another site.

INTERNET POKER 301

894.One of the beautiful things about

playing poker online is the ability to

“hit and run” (play one or two hands and leave). It

can be done in B&M, but it’s a bit embarrassing to

sit down, win two big pots, then get up and leave—

and in home games, forget about it! After word of

your hit and run tactics spread, you could be black-

listed from any future invitations anywhere in your

hometown or state!

895.Another beauty is your multitask-

ing ability. You can play poker while

you check your email, pay your bills, watch

Casablanca, or talk on the phone. If you’re lucky

enough to have wireless, the options are almost lim-

itless—cooking, eating, having a manicure, having a

pedicure, clipping your nose hair, your ear hair.

Need to go potty? Take your laptop with you!

Nobody has to know…

896.However, while you’re multitasking,

make sure you pay attention to

your game. Act when it is your turn. Don’t make

your tablemates wait for you over and over again.

Though it actually is only seconds, it can drag on if

you are a repeat offender and those seconds seem

like minutes.


897.Multi-tasking can help you to be

patient while waiting on the proper

starting hands. Almost everything you have learned

about playing winning poker can and should be

used in Internet play, including hand selection.

Patience remains a virtue in any poker game any-

where.

898.Another positive aspect of playing

on the Internet is that you can

always find a game to your liking no matter what

time of the day or night. Like the old saying goes, “It

must be the cocktail hour somewhere in the world.”

Likewise, folks from all parts of the world are play-

ing twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and

on holidays.

899.You also can play multiple games. I

personally believe that if you really

want to play poker properly, one game at a time is

plenty but two isn’t totally unreasonable. I may play

two games if, while I am running really well in a ring

game, a tournament I signed up for has started. I

know hyper kids (of legal age, of course) and adults

who seem to be “action addicts” who play three or

more games at one time. Some sites have a mini-

mize button to make the table small so you can

have four tables on your screen at one time. I think

this is ridiculous and can’t imagine how anyone

could win doing such a thing.

INTERNET POKER 303

900.If you do play multiple tables, do

not add multi-tasking on top of

that. You need to be totally focused on your games

so you don’t leave your tablemates continually wait-

ing. That is rude and unfair. You will see chat post-

ings that read, “zzz,” meaning, “We’re going to sleep

because you’re making us wait so long, you donkey!”

901.Keep this in mind: if you are not a

winning player, don’t even consider

playing more than one table at a time. Why lose two

or three times faster? The idea is to win more in a

limit within your comfort zone.

902.With so many hands being dealt per

hour, your good starting hands will

come more often—and so will the bad beats. It will

seem as if you see more aces getting crushed online

simply because you’re seeing so many more hands

being dealt.

903.Your position is just as important in

your strategy on the Internet as in a

brick-and-mortar environment. Hands you will fold

up front, you can play from late position, and if no

one has entered the pot you can raise with them.


904.Winning strategy is very much the

same on the Internet as in B&M; the

only difference is the speed and the lack of tells in IP.

You simply cannot see the breathing patterns or

nervousness of your opponents and other such

hints about the strength of their hands. However, as

you get more advanced in Internet play, you will

want to read what John Vorhaus writes at length

about cyberspace poker tells in his book.

905.Keeping records of your play is easy;

you know how much you deposited

and you know what your balance is. In a click, you

know how much you are winning or losing.

906.If you play a lot you should keep

more detailed records. I keep

records of ring games and tournaments, what limit

I play, whether it was a satellite, a one-table or a

multi-table tournament, what game I was playing,

and where I was playing. Study your records to dis-

cover your strengths and weaknesses. Then adjust

your play to what is most profitable for you.

907.As in casino games, I recommend

you do not show your hands unless

you have to. Why give out information?

INTERNET POKER 305

908.If anything happens online that

upsets you (besides bad beats),

contact your customer support and they will look

into it. Legitimate complaints include foul lan-

guage, a screen name that you find offensive, or

your suspicion that there is some collusion going

on. Jot down the day, the time, your game number,

the name of the offensive player, and the table

number. This is the information that will expedite a

solution to your problem. I know from experience

that complaints are taken care of.

909.One difference in Internet play and

B&M is that you don’t need to vary

your play so much. Your opponents also are multi-

tasking or playing multiple tables and not paying

great attention to your style. Also, sessions are often

shorter than in casinos or cardrooms.

910.The exception to this is in a big

tournament online. When you are

in the running for a potentially big win or to win an

expensive prize package to a big land-based tourna-

ment with all expenses paid, stop any activities that

will take your mind off the task at hand and totally

concentrate on the game and your opponents.


911.Online tournaments are a hoot and

can be such an adrenaline rush.

They can give you the opportunity to play levels you

could never play in a ring game ($2,000 and $4,000

and higher!) and the best part is the overlay. In the

“old days” of live tournaments, if I couldn’t make

ten times my investment with a win, I didn’t think it

was a good overlay. Today, you can make a hundred

times your investment and sometimes more!

912.You can find online tournaments

for as little as a dollar for practice

up to $100, $200, $300, and $500 and all price ranges

in between. The higher prices may sound unafford-

able but you can play $10, $20, and $30 satellites to

win a seat in the more expensive competitions. You

can even play a $2 or $3 tournament to win a seat in

the $20 or $30 tournaments in which you can win a

seat to play in the $200 or $300 tournaments where

you can win a great gob of cash, or you might win a

$10,000 entry into a mega-tournament in a casino

where you can win millions! I’m telling you, it has

happened before, and it will happen again.

INTERNET POKER 307

913.Never forget the “regular guys” who

paid less than $100 online, won a

prize package worth $11,000 that included a trip to

Las Vegas, accommodations, expense money, and a

buy-in to the main event of the World Series of

Poker in 2003 and 2004. Chris Moneymaker and

Greg “Fossilman” Raymer made poker history and

became millionaires and Internet folk heroes, all for

a very small initial investment.

914.When you do decide to play a tour-

nament online, be sure you have

enough time. Big multi-table events with a thousand

plus players can last four or five hours or longer.


915.Is bluffing possible online? The

answer is yes and no. I would not

attempt bluffing in low stake games, $3-$6 and less,

especially in limit games. The players simply will

call to “keep you honest.” On the other hand, in

one-table sit-n-goes (a one-table tournament that

usually pays the top three players out of ten) as the

limits go up you may have to bluff a hand or semi-

bluff to survive. Again, the higher the cost of the

event, the better a bluff will work. Don’t even think

about it early in the competition. In the early

rounds you should be playing as slow as molasses in

the winter. It’s later, when it’s time to start moving

and shaking, that you will consider a well-timed

bluff. Never try to bluff a player who has already

entered the pot, and never try to bluff more than

one or two players at one time.

916.An example: (I will admit, I never

thought about this one; it’s another

Hilger Internet tip) You will find yourself in small

blind versus big blind situations a lot more on the

Internet than you would in a live game since in a live

game you often “chop” the blinds) bluffing with trash

hands in these situations can often be profitable. If

neither player raised preflop, you have to win just

once every three hands for your bluffs to break even;

therefore betting out the flop from either the small

blind or the big blind can often be successful.

INTERNET POKER 309

917.The bottom line is this: solid,

straightforward good play will ulti-

mately win the money for you. To be successful over

the long haul you also need discipline, patience,

and good money management skills.

918.Most Internet players are social

players. There is no reason your

online poker hobby cannot be profitable, but you

must practice and use what you have learned about

playing winning poker. You may find that you can

supplement your income while enjoying poker in

cyberspace. This is a reasonable and achievable

goal.

919.Last, and quite possibly the best

part of IP, is the cashing out

process. First, win a chunk of money and then cash

some out and do something special. Again, for your

first cash out, just follow the directions. They will

send you a check (that’s the long way) but if you

took my advice and opened a FirePay or a NETeller

account, they make an immediate transaction from

the Internet account to your cyberspace bank and

in a few business days it’ll be in your bank account

waiting for you.

Now go forth to your computer, play poker, have

fun, and make money.


Millions of people all over the world love to play poker

at home with friends and family, on the Internet, or

both. In all probabilities they eventually will have the

opportunity to play in a “real” poker arena. If they live

in an area near a casino, their opportunity is practi-

cally in their own backyard. Although it is an experi-

ence they desire, nine times out of ten the thoughts of

first entering a poker casino or cardroom will cause

some anxiety and intimidation. It reminds me of

when I was a kid on summer vacation from school.

Once a week one of the moms would take a bunch of

us kids to one of the local swimming pools. There

Brick-and-MortarCard Casinos andPoker Rooms

12.

were two huge public pools in our neck of the woods

and several smaller ones. When “pool day” arrived it

didn’t matter whether we were headed to the big

facilities or the smaller ones, we always were so

excited and happy at the thought of spending the day

enjoying the water. I vividly remember the first few

times I got to go. Everyone was so delighted and

excited at the thought of our day of fun in the sun as

we gathered our necessities—picnic lunches, suntan

lotion, goggles, beach towels, floats, and pool toys. I

didn’t know about the rest of the kids, but although I

was excited and looking forward to the experience, I

also was scared to death. I knew in my heart it was

going to be a day of great fun but that first plunge

haunted me. Would I sink? Would I freeze from the

cold water? Would my bathing suit come off, leaving

me buck-naked and embarrassed to death? The

other kids never knew of my fears, and once I eased

into the water, my apprehension quickly faded and I

had a blast.

It isn’t easy for most to take that first plunge into

live poker, but once your body crosses the card-

room threshold and you get used to the environ-

ment, you’ll have a wonderful time because you will

be prepared. By the time you leave, you will look

forward to your next visit.


Tips for Your Maiden Visit to a Brick-and-Mortar Poker Emporium

920.Like the public swimming pools in

the days of my youthful excursions,

poker establishments come in all sizes. They all

have one thing in common: management and own-

ers want you to have a good experience so you will

return.

921.When you enter a poker room or

poker casino initially, the first per-

son you should encounter will be an employee who

will greet you and make you feel welcome. This

might be a floorperson, a dealer on “front of the

room” duty, or in the case of some of the huge poker

casinos in Southern California, the concierge.

Advise this person that you are a new player

because his job is to make you feel comfortable and

show you the ropes.

BRICK-AND-MORTAR CARD CASINOS AND POKER ROOMS 313

922.Your greeter will answer any and all

of your questions. If you are visiting

a small room, the employee can give you a short

tour or simply point out the different games, and

explain what limits are being played at what tables.

If you are in one of the larger poker casinos, the

greeter or concierge will answer your questions

then direct you to the area of the casino where the

games and limits you are interested in are being

played. There, another floorperson will take over

and find you a seat or put you on the list for a seat

and show you where you can wait.

923.When you are seated, if the dealer

has not been advised that you are a

new player, then you should tell him. He should

watch you, guide you, and be very patient while you

tip your toe in the poker pool for the first time and

then ease on in for a good time. Poker is known as a

social game of great camaraderie in addition to a

fun means to make a little money and maybe even

to supplement your income.


924.Even though I loved to play poker at

home, it took me three visits to Las

Vegas before I finally worked up the nerve to sit

down at a poker table . I finally consumed some liq-

uid courage and took the plunge. When the very

friendly brush (person who greets you at the front of

the poker room) took me to my seat, he asked me if

seat three was okay. Because he led me to my seat, I

didn’t have to worry about which way to count

around the table to know where seat three was. The

seats are numbered, beginning with seat one to the

dealer’s left, in a clockwise formation. See the chart

on page 2 for a visual.

925.The tables are also numbered. A

floorperson may tell you table

eleven, seat seven. However, if he knows this is your

first visit, 99 percent of the time he will take you under

his wing and guide you to the correct table and seat.

926.The Bicycle Casino in Bell Gardens,

California, even has a poker college

you can attend. In addition to teaching whatever

game you are interested in, part of the “course” is to

introduce you to the nuances of playing public

poker. Integrated in the poker school course is a

complete tour of the facility including a look behind

the scenes. (The kitchens are huge!)


927.Before beginning play, you will

have to buy chips. Normally, there

will be a chip runner whose job it is to take your bills

and bring you chips. Often the chip runner will have

a wide belt-type apparatus on his waist with chips

in huge pockets. He is like a human cash register. It

is nice to tip this person a buck, but not an absolute.

928.Normally, casinos or card clubs do

not want you to play with cash or to

have cash on the table. There are exceptions of

course. Some poker establishments will allow you to

keep extra money under your chips but it must be in

plain view. (Beware of the player who asks, “Can I

buy more chips?” in the middle of a hand of poker!)

929.Poker is a service business. I advise

tipping everyone. If you plan to

allow yourself $200 for your first buy-in, make it

$210 and have tips for all, including the cashier,

when you cash out. As previously mentioned, tip

the dealer when you win a decent sized pot. A toke

is not expected if you take a tiny pot. I believe gen-

erosity will come back to you ten-fold. Good karma.


930.Each game will have a “minimum

buy-in.” I suggest you buy at least

double the amount of the suggested minimum.

Example: The buy-in is $40 for a $1-$2 limit game.

Buy in for $80 or $100. In bigger games if the mini-

mum buy-in is $100, buy-in for $200 or $250. It gives

you a better table image, but do not buy in for more

than you can afford to lose—just in case. And do not

buy-in for ten times the minimum even if you can

afford it. It isn’t necessary and it makes you look like

you either have gotten into the wrong game or are

trying to be a show-off.

931.If your first live poker experience is

going to be traveling to a casino to

play in a poker tournament, go a few days early to

acclimate yourself. Play in a few ring games to get

the feel of playing at a “real” poker table. In major

tournaments, nobody will take the time to show the

new players the ropes; there are just too many of

them to try.

932.Go to the tournament area the day

before your event and get the feel of

the room. Sign up and find your table so you’ll know

exactly where you need to be when the “cards are in

the air.”


933.If you win an entry to a major live

tournament by playing online, be

sure to play a few small buy-in tournaments in a live

poker environment prior to your big event. Also be

sure that your online poker site has purchased your

seat. Do this well before the beginning of your event

just in case you need time to get any oversight taken

care of. Playing tournaments online is very different

from playing tournaments live and in person with

other real people, and you need to be prepared for

those differences.

934.There is a story of a player who was

surprised at the slow speed of the

first live tournament he played. Living, breathing

human poker dealers simply cannot deal as fast as

the dealing online. The player kept getting preoccu-

pied because there was so much time between

hands (compared to Internet play). The dealer kept

having to tell him when it was his turn. At one point

it was his turn and the dealer said, “Sir.” No

response. The dealer knocked on the table, “Sir, sir,

the action is on you.” The player was not even look-

ing at the dealer. Finally the dealer mimicked a

computer and said, “Beep! Beep!” The player then

acted and the other players at the table broke up.


935.Don’t play when you are tired or

hungry. Most poker rooms serve

drinks and many serve liquor but you should play

smart; don’t drink alcohol when you are playing

serious poker.

936.If you’re partying, it is a social

evening, or you do not care if you

win or lose because you’re just there to have a good

time, that’s another story. If this is how you play

serious poker, however, you will be ensuring that

the other players at your table are having a good

time because they will be winning your money.

937.Many poker rooms serve food. Some

charge (usually very reasonable

prices), and they will roll a little side-table right up to

you. You can order a snack or a full steak dinner.

938.If you decide to eat at the poker

table, it is okay to sit out for a few

hands. Just tell the dealer and he will not deal you in

until you advise him that you are ready. (This is not

true during tournament play—you will be dealt in

no matter what.) If you decide to continue to play

while you eat, pay attention and don’t slow up the

game while you butter your roll. Do not get crumbs

or grease on the cards.


939.Many casinos will offer food

comps. “Comp” is short for compli-

mentary. The way to know if you can get a comp is

to ask. Some rooms may require a certain number

of hours of play in order to offer a comp. If this is the

case, ask to be tracked or request a player’s card.

940.If you have not been playing long

enough for a comp but you want to

grab a quick bite, ask about a line pass. This will allow

you to go to the front of the buffet or restaurant line.

941.On TV you often see players wait

until the action is on them to look at

their cards. The reason, or so it goes, is so no one can

pick up a tell on them when they peek at their hold-

ings. I disagree! In waiting until the action is on you,

you are losing some thinking time. Granted some

hands are no-brainers (you know you’re going to

fold) but if you look at your cards immediately as

you receive them, you can then start looking around

the board for needed cards or watch as other players

look at their cards. It also speeds up the game.

942.Don’t be an actor or actress. If

you’re going to fold, fold! If you’re

going to play, make your bet, call, raise, or reraise. If

you need time to contemplate, that’s okay, but it is

not necessary every hand.


943.The exception to the rule: it is okay

to “go Hollywood” if you have a

monster hand and are figuring how to get the most

money in the pot you are going to win. You can “act”

as if you are going to fold and then change your

mind and so forth. I have seen some performances

that deserve an Academy Award. Don’t fall for it. See

the chapter on tells for more on this subject.

944.If you play a hand to the river,

always turn your cards faceup for

the dealer to read. There will be occasions where

you are going after one hand and make another

without realizing it. Example: Let’s say you went

after a four flush but didn’t make it. The hand is

checked on the river. Betting ends, and it is time for

the showdown. Some players will just muck their

cards because they missed their draw. But don’t you

do it! Turn your cards faceup; you may have a win-

ner with a baby pair or an ace or even a king high.

Until you have had twenty years of experience play-

ing live poker, always let the dealer read your hand.

Over the long haul, this will make money for you.


945.When you do have the winning

hand, hold onto your cards until

the pot is awarded to you. Mistakes can be made

and if your cards happen to end up in the muck, you

will not receive the pot. You don’t need to have a

death grip on your cards, just a finger or two on

them to protect them is fine.

946.When you decide to play a hand,

listen to what the other players are

saying. You may hear some valuable information.

Example: In a game of seven-card stud if a player

says, “I’m going to take one more card,” he probably

means it. If he doesn’t help his hand and he checks,

you should bet no matter what because if he had

decided to take “one more card” and got no help; he

likely will fold. If he took one more card, and

helped, he’ll be sticking around.

947.In a split game, Omaha high-low in

particular, never assume you will

be splitting the same pot. Example: If you have an

ace-deuce for low and also made a pair of 4s, don’t

assume that your opponent also has an ace-deuce

because he has a bunch of low cards and that he

also made a high hand. He may have an ace-3 and

no pair for high and think he has the best low when,

in fact, you’re going to scoop this pot!


948.If you have the nut high in a split

game, raise ’til the cows come home

or you run out of money, whichever comes first. You

don’t want to do a bunch of raising with the nut low

(for reasons explained in the Omaha high-low split

chapter), but when you’re heads-up and have the

nut low against what you believe to be another nut

low, keep raising.

949.Another example: You are heads up

in Omaha high-low and you’re

holding A-K-Q-2. The flop comes J-7-3 rainbow, the

turn is a 5 and the river is a 10. You have the nut low.

It is certainly possible that your opponent is going

high and you will split the pot but what if he has

only an ace and a 3 and he is going low? Do not

assume! He could have misread his hand and

believe he made a high. You could have a scooper

and you just checked because of your assumption

that you will be splitting the pot. Remember the fit-

ting cliché: to assume is to make an “ass out of u and

me.”

950.Once you are comfortable in your

new poker environment and have

begun to converse with your tablemates, never ever

ridicule another player’s play. If he is playing badly,

why on earth would you want to embarrass him and

risk losing him? He is a fish. We love fish! Even if you

hate all seafood, you gotta love the fish!


951.If you are at a table and you can’t

identify the fish after fifteen or

twenty minutes of play, be careful, you may be it!

Time to change tables. Look for greener pastures (or

cooler waters). If for any reason you are not com-

fortable, ask for a table change.

952.There is a famous player nick-

named “Tuna.” He acquired the

name when he first began playing poker in a small

public cardroom in northern Nevada because he

was the biggest fish they had ever seen. Some fish

study their game and become sharks; Tuna is one of

them.

953.If you are not comfortable because

you are crowded and squished

between two other players at one end of the table,

while the players at the other end of the table seem

to have plenty of elbow room, ask the dealer to

“square the table.” This means in a ten-handed

game, players four and five should be sitting

directly in front of the right and left point of the

dealer’s tray. If it is a nine-handed table, player five

should be directly in front of the dealer. Don’t take it

upon yourself to get the players in their proper

spots. That is part of the dealer’s job. Just quietly ask

the dealer to square the table. He will know exactly

what you mean.


954.If you find yourself in a game with a

player who is continually putting in

a straddle, doing anything that upsets you, or just

plain getting on your last nerve, change tables. You

do not go out to play poker to be aggravated. Qui-

etly ask the floorperson for a table change.

955.All cardrooms in America request

that only English be spoken at the

poker table. This is to prevent any collusion in a for-

eign language.

956.Speaking of foreign languages, if

you are visiting a European country

where you will be playing your first public poker

game, check out the situation before appearing at

the poker club. Some clubs in Europe are private,

but all you have to do is join the club prior to show-

ing up. Some require a certain dress code that isn’t

as casual as is allowed in America.

957.You often will see a player show his

cards when he doesn’t have to. It is

usually with either a big hand or a bluff. My advice

is to never show a hand unless you have to. Anytime

you show a hand you are giving information. The

less information your opponents have on your play,

the better.


958.Always play in turn. It is your turn

when the player to your right has

acted. If you act before it is your turn, it isn’t the end

of the world, but if your action is a raise because you

have a big hand, you might lose a player who would

have been in the pot if you had waited until it was

your turn.

959.You may not be familiar with the

term “chopping the blinds” that can

come up in ring games but not in tournaments or

online. This means that if all players fold and only

the blinds remain, they can agree to “chop.” When

agreed, players will take back their blind money.

Some players will almost always agree to chop while

others never chop. If you agree to a chop, you need

to chop every time during your session. To chop one

time but discover you have a big playable hand at

another and raise is considered unethical. If you

chop, you chop, and if you don’t, you don’t.

960.When you are in the big blind of an

unraised pot, do not fold because

you have a crappy hand. You get to see a free flop,

and it just might be a crappy flop that matches your

crappy hand. I have won some huge pots just

because my big blind wasn’t raised.


961.This is a case in point of raising if

you’re going to enter the pot from

late position. You don’t want those blinds catching

a flop.

962.When you want to raise a pot, say, “I

raise.” Don’t whisper or mumble;

be audible. In no-limit, this allows you to call the

bet and raise whatever amount you want to in order

to get the job done; in limit games it gives you the

time (and lets others know your intentions) to raise

the proper amount.

963.String betting is not allowed. If you

put money out and go back to your

stack for more, you’ve made a string bet. This is why

it is so important to announce your raise. Do not

give a thumbs-up sign for your raise. Say it, unless

you cannot speak and then hand motions are

acceptable.

964.Do not “splash the pot.” This means

don’t throw chips directly into the

pot. Put your call, bet, raise, or reraise in front of you.

Each player’s chips will be in front of him until the

action of the particular round of betting is complete

and then the dealer will pull the bets into the pot.


965.Do not expose yourself at the poker

table. If you expose your cards

before the action is complete, your hand is consid-

ered dead whether you showed your hand acciden-

tally or intentionally.

966.Most serious players begin a poker

session playing their absolute best.

After thirty minutes or an hour of waiting patiently

for a playable hand, they begin to revert to old

habits of playing too many hands and ultimately

losing. Play your A-game each and every time you

play. If you find yourself playing anything other

than your best, it’s time to call it a day or night and

go home.

Class dismissed. Now go play poker and have

fun winning money!


If you are an invited guest to someone’s home for

dinner or invited as a guest to a public restaurant,

you know what to do and what not to do. You

wouldn’t eat your soup with a fork, or pick up the

bowl and slurp it. You wouldn’t rinse your fingers in

your water glass or pick at your toes or your nose.

You know what is proper and what is not. You know

what is polite and what is rude, what is acceptable

or unacceptable.

Whereas slurping soup in America is frowned

on, in Japan it’s not only okay, it’s considered com-

plimentary to slurp one’s noodles and broth.

PokerTable Protocol

13.

Lithuanian dining customs are unique and rigid.

The head of the household sits in the place of honor

at the end of the table along the wall. The other men

sit along the wall with the women sitting across

from them. Another Lithuanian dining custom

involves the slicing of the bread. It is something of a

ritual. It is considered a sacred duty done only by

the head of the household. On the subject of slicing:

for anyone to put a knife down with the sharp edge

facing up is to invite misfortune.

Did you know that when served hot tea in a

restaurant or teahouse in China, it is customary to

tap two bent fingers on the table as an expression of

thanks? Not to do so is considered rude.

In Brazil you are never to touch any food with

your fingers. Using the hands in direct contact with

your food is considered ill mannered and

unhygienic. Brazilians use utensils for pizza,

sandwiches, fruit, and chicken. If food is to be

picked up and eaten with the hands, it is carefully

wrapped in a napkin. Brazilians wipe their mouths

after every sip of liquid taken. They keep both

hands above the table while eating. The American

habit of keeping one hand on the lap is considered

odd. To use the fork to cut anything is considered

rude.

In Arabic countries and India you are to eat or

pass food only with your right hand. Even if you’re a

leftie, you must manage. There is a reason. It is for

sanitary purposes. What they do with their left hand

leads them to avoid eating with that hand. And

that’s all I am going to say about that.


In some Middle Eastern and European countries

it is considered impolite to eat everything on your

plate. Leaving food is a symbol of abundance and

serves to compliment the host. To clean your plate

is to suggest that you were not served enough food.

It is an insult.

Many of you have not had the opportunity to

visit any or many of these countries. I hope those of

you who have been guests in other countries have

taken some etiquette lessons beforehand so as not

to embarrass yourself.

My point is that what we do in our country, in

our own homes, or as visitors in our friends’ homes,

may not be the right thing to do elsewhere. We may

even make gargantuan mistakes while trying to be

polite and do our best, just because we don’t know

any better. The same is true at the poker table. If you

have been a home player for fifty years or if you

have played regularly on the Internet for fifty hours

a week, when you enter a brick-and-mortar poker

room, the rules, the rights, the wrongs, and the

manners are different. After reading and commit-

ting to memory the following rules of protocol at

the poker table, you can make your very first visit to

a live poker emporium and feel right at home. You

will not accidentally make a donkey out of yourself,

or worse, do anything that will inadvertently affect

your win rate (or someone else’s) at the poker table.

POKER TABLE PROTOCOL 331

Tips for Proper Poker Table Protocol

967.Handle your hole cards in such a

way that only you can see them.

Cup your left hand around your cards and lift the

corners with your right thumbnail—unless of

course you’re left handed, in which case you would

do it backwards.

968.It actually is against the rules to

“break the rail” with your cards.

This means to pick up your cards, take them toward

you, and move them over the rail of the poker table.

You shouldn’t pick up your cards at all. Practice at

home; cup your hand around your cards, make a lit-

tle cave that only you can peek into. It is okay if you

have to bend your head down a bit to see your

cards. The point is that you and only you see your

hole cards.

969.If you feel clumsy and have always

picked up your cards to see them

clearly, practice more. It is unfair to the majority of the

table and to you to expose yourself (your cards, that

is) at the poker table. Of course the players to your

immediate left and right won’t mind; they will have an

advantage in the game because they will know what

your cards are. It’s rather easy to win at poker if you

know exactly what your opponent is holding!


970.On the subject of looking at your

hole cards, some poker professors

preach to take a quick look at your cards, memorize

them, and then do not look back. Your poker

teacher (me) says it is okay to look back at your

cards as often as is necessary. As you get started in

poker, you are going to have a lot to think about so

if you need to take a second or third peek, it is okay.

I have often seen new players make mistakes

because they thought it was a bad habit to take a re-

peek at their cards. Why risk thinking you have a nut

flush when in fact you have one heart and one dia-

mond? You would be even more embarrassed if you

announce a heart flush and turn over the losing

hand…all because you were trying to be cool and

look superexperienced by not looking at your cards

again when the three hearts showed up on the flop.

971.If you are going to enter a pot, never

touch your chips before the action

gets to you. This is a tell. It is revealing to the other

players at the table about what you are going to do.

For example, a player who acts before you plans to

raise with a marginal hand, but if he knows that you

intend to enter the pot or raise any bet (and he

already knows that you are a good solid player), he

may decide to just call, or he may even fold because

he already knows what you plan to do.


972.If you watch poker on TV you prob-

ably have seen Chris “Jesus” Furger-

son play. He is a stone face when he is involved in a

hand, and he acts exactly the same with every hand

whether he is going to call, raise, fold, or reraise. He

doesn’t move a muscle until the action is on him. He

sits with his hands under his chin. He thinks a

moment and then acts. No one has any idea what

he is going to do.

973.You can create your own style but

do it the same every time you are

dealt in a hand. I sit with my hands in front of me

just over my cards but leaving the cards visible.

When it is my turn, I react.

974.This brings up another subject.

Don’t hide your cards. If you have

gorilla hands, be sure you do not completely con-

ceal your cards during the play of a hand. The dealer

needs to be able to see them as do your opponents.


975.When you are going to fold, don’t

throw your cards at the dealer as if

you’re throwing a softball. Don’t get fancy with your

mucking. I have seen the twister muck, the under-

handed-flip-twist muck, and the ho-hum-sigh-it’s-

so-hard-to-release muck where the dealer has to

reach for the cards. Don’t toss your cards on top of

the flop. Gently move them toward the center of the

table within easy reach of the dealer. A light flick of

the cards with your fingertip in the direction of the

dealer is fine. Even picking your cards up and deli-

cately flipping them with two fingers toward the

muck is fine but remember, keep them facedown.

976.If you play correctly you will have

plenty of folding practice and you

will develop your own style. Just be sure your style

does not expose your cards.

977.Do not hold your cards in a “muck”

position (making it obvious that

you are going to fold) before the action is to you.

This is another tell that lets everyone know you are

not going to play this hand. Your opponents should

have no read on what your action is going to be

until it is your turn to act.


978.If you need to leave the table, do

not do so until the action is on you.

If you are in late position and decide to run to the

restroom, do not receive your cards and leave the

table when the action is up front. This goes beyond

a tell, it is a scream! This bad habit is rude and

unfair because it is announcing your action before

it is your turn—it can affect another player’s play.

979.On the flip side of the mucking coin

is the protection of your cards when

you are going to play a hand. This is especially

important if you are sitting to the right or the left of

the dealer. He is like a machine as he runs the game

and if you aren’t protecting your cards he easily

could scoop them into the muck. I have actually

seen a player in seat one raise a pot and he had no

cards! What’s even funnier is, he won the pot!

980.You can simply keep your hand or a

couple of fingers on your cards.

(Remember to leave a part of your cards exposed so

everyone knows you have a hand.) You can also put

a chip or two on top of them or use a card capper.


981.Whether folding, betting, raising, or

reraising, always act in turn. Your

turn is immediately after the player to your right has

acted. If you are in seat one and you do not have a

clear view of the player to your right because he is in

seat ten with the dealer between you, the dealer will

look at you when the action is on you. Whichever

seat you are in, the dealer will look at you when the

action is on you. He sometimes will point to you. He

will never embarrass you, but if you are not paying

attention, he will do what is necessary to let you

know the action is on you. Example: He may pat the

table and say, “Sir (or ma’am), it is your turn.”

982.If you are in a tournament, always

have your big chips visible. Do not

stack your $5, $25, and $100 chips in a row and

place your $500 and $1,000 chips behind them

where they cannot be seen. Every player at the table

should easily be able to see your “society” chips, as

I call them. This also is true in a ring game. The rea-

son is so that a player cannot eye your chips and

believe that he has more than you and make a hefty

bet to try to get you to fold, when in fact you have

several thousand more than he does. He should be

able to see at a glance your approximate chip count.


983.This tip is very important, so please

read it over and over until you are

sure you get it. In limit games, if the player to your

right announces, “Raise,” it is okay to go ahead and

muck, even if he is fumbling with his chips. How-

ever, if you are playing a no-limit game this is not

okay. You need to wait until the player who is raising

has completely finished his action. The reason is

that in no-limit a raise can constitute any amount

from twice the amount of the big blind to every-

thing in front of you. If the player to your right says,

“Raise,” and you immediately fold before he has

said how much he raises or before he had com-

pleted his action, you could cause a chain reaction.

If the raiser knows that three or four people are

going to fold to any raise, he can increase his raise

amount to insure the remaining one or two players

also will fold. Or, if he has a huge hand, he will raise

less to try to entice a call.

984.If a player is being verbally abusive

or upsetting you in any way, do not

argue with him. Between hands, get up from the

table, find a floorperson, and quietly explain the

problem. It will be taken care of and the offender

never has to know who squealed.


985.Please, no cell phone calls at the

poker table. Some poker establish-

ments have this as a hard-and-fast rule, but even if

they don’t, be polite enough to stand up and walk a

few feet away from the table to take or make a call.

Be even more polite by turning your cell phone off

when you are at the poker table.

986.It is okay to converse with your

tablemates at the poker table. It is

known as a social game; however, don’t talk or laugh

loudly. Although your partner in conversation is

interested in chatting, some players at the table

have no interest and it disturbs them. It depends on

the makeup of the players in the game. In some

cases everyone might listen and laugh at jokes; in

some cases only one end of the table may be inter-

ested in such and such a football game and so forth.

Get a feel for the terrain.

987.If someone makes a bonehead play,

don’t call his attention to it. You will

embarrass him and frankly, why would you want to

give poker lessons at the table? If your opponents are

making long-shot donkey calls, good for you. They

may get lucky and suck out once in awhile but that

too is okay. In the long run, bad players will lose.


988.In a brick-and-mortar poker room,

do not help the dealer by moving

the button, making change, or putting two antes

together. Helping the dealer will, more often than

not, confuse him and end up taking more time, not

less.

989.There are a few exceptions to the

“don’t help the dealer” rule. When

you fold in the game of seven-card stud, turn your

upcards facedown and muck all your cards

together. Some people just push their cards away

from them with the downcards down and the

upcards up and the dealer must separate and turn

the upcards down. Good stud players fold with all

cards facedown automatically. If you are disgusted

with the way the hand is developing, be disgusted

with your cards facedown as you disgustedly fold.

Don’t do as some moody players do by just pushing

their mishmash of cards away from them as if the

cards had cooties.

990.Another “help the dealer” tip is to

push your blinds or antes far

enough in front of you that the dealer can easily

reach them without stretching—or in some cases,

short-armed dealers actually have to stand up in

order to reach far enough to retrieve your blinds or

antes. The dealer pushes the pot to within easy

reach for you; show him the same courtesy.


991.If you have to put an oversized chip

out for a blind or ante, the dealer

will make the change. You are not allowed to do this

yourself. There is a story that goes like this: A poker

player showed up one day at his regular brick-and-

mortar poker emporium. He had a cast from his

shoulder to his fingertips. An acquaintance asked

what happened to him. “I tried to make my own

change from the pot,” the wounded man replied.

992.Do not slow roll. To slow roll is to

have the best hand and tease the

loser by very slowly showing your hand or making a

joke. It is not funny; it is rude and unappreciated.

Example: The board is 4ª-Q¨-4©-7¨-10ª. A man

holding a pair of 7s has a full house, 7s full of 4s and

feels confident that he will win the pot. Another man

has made quad 4s on the flop. The full house proudly

shows his hand and waits for the pot to be pushed to

him. The man with quads takes his time and then

says, “I just have two pair. Two pair of 4s!” Not

funny—rude! If you took a survey among regular

poker players about the things they hate to see at the

poker table, slow rolling would probably top the list.


993.Do not tell bad-beat stories. I hate

to tell you this, but nobody cares. If

any player has played much at all he too has experi-

enced the bad beat you want to tell him about. Let

it go. Move on.

994.Don’t be a crybaby or throw fits.

Phil Hellmuth can’t seem to help it;

just don’t mimic him. It isn’t cute or entertaining,

and people will simply laugh at you and make jokes

about you.

995.It is okay to stand up, talk a walk, or

visit another table to chat with a

friend between hands. There is a “one player to a

hand” rule, so if you try to have a conversation with

your buddy while he is in the play of a hand you will

be politely reprimanded. It is okay to leave the table

to go to the restroom or even to grab a bite to eat if

you don’t plan to take too long. They simply will

hold your seat for a certain amount of time. How-

ever, do not leave if you know you are going to be

gone for an hour or more, especially if there is a

waiting list for the game. Pick your chips up and get

back into a game when you return.


996.It isn’t a good idea to leave cash on

the poker table. If you need to go to

the bathroom or leave the table for any reason, leav-

ing your chips is fine, but if you have bills under or

beside your chips, pick them up when you leave the

table. It would be nice if everyone were honest, but

that just isn’t the case in the real—or the poker—

world.


have just ordered a drink when

nature calls. Always tip the waitresses, whether

you’re physically at the table or not. If you must go

before your drink arrives, leave a dollar in your cup

holder or lying on the rail of the poker table in front

of your seat. This practice is common, and the wait-

ress will know that the dollar is intended for her.

998.If a flop comes with two or even

three of a kind and you were hold-

ing one of the cards, do not display any dramatics.

Example: The flop brings two or three jacks and you

folded a jack preflop. Do not say, “Oh, no,” or slap

the table or your forehead, or groan, or moan. All of

these “tells” let the entire table know that you folded

a jack. That could destroy the strategy of a player in

late position who had decided to represent that he

was holding a jack.


999.Do not get angry with the dealer

when you have a bad beat. He is

just the delivery person. It is not his fault if you are

having a bad day. If he could control what cards

were dealt to what person, he and his special some-

one would be very wealthy, and somebody else

would be dealing your cards.

1000.Last but not least, almost

always tip the dealers. They are

paid a minimum wage and their income depends

on tokes. I say almost always because if you just win

the blinds or antes in a small-limit game, you would

be giving them half your profit with a dollar tip.

They don’t expect that, but when you do take a

decent pot, take care of the delivery person.


Since 1986, I have been blessed with a career that I

love. That is the year I moved to Las Vegas and found

my place in the poker world. That is the year I had

my first article published in the one and only poker

publication available at that time. Today there is an

abundance of poker publications and I am honored

to write for many of them.

I was a poker junkie before poker was popular.

As I traveled from state to state (Nevada to Califor-

nia back in those days) to play poker and interview

poker players, I never dreamed what poker would

become. As I wrote poker columns, mostly human

My FriendsGive Big Tips

14.

interest stories, I had the privilege of meeting many

famous or soon-to-be-famous poker players. Some

of today’s superstars were literally in kindergarten

or even diapers when I discovered the unique world

of poker. To watch some of these young men and

women (some not so young) progress from strug-

gling (even broke on occasion) pro players to

tremendous successes in the poker arena con-

stantly gives me goose bumps of pride. Some are

multimillionaires today, and some are so popular

and busy with their poker careers and requests to

make personal appearances and endorse products

that they have had to hire entertainment agents or

managers. Even with their extremely busy sched-

ules, they made time to chat with me (often through

email) about my big project, 1000 Best Poker Strate-

gies and Secrets.

The following are tips, suggestions, hints, and

comments about poker, or quotes from my friends,

the famous poker players, most of whom were hon-

ing their poker skills long before the “poker renais-

sance.” These wonderful poker pros are generous

folks who are willing to share some of their knowl-

edge and wisdom with you, through me.

Doyle Brunson

Doyle Brunson is poker’s living legend. From

Longworth, Texas, he began his poker career as a

true Texas rounder. He has gained great wealth not

only with a long string of tournament wins but also


by playing the highest-limit cash games in the

world. He has won ten World Series of Poker

(WSOP) gold bracelets, tying with Johnny Chan for

the most won as of 2005. He also has won the world

title twice, 1976 and 1977, also tying with Chan.

Ironically, he won both world championships hold-

ing the same hand, 10-2, and making the same

hand, a full house (10s full of deuces), giving the

poker hand 10-2 the nickname “the Doyle Brun-

son.” He was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame

in 1988 and into the Poker Walk of Fame in 2004. In

1977, he published the first famous how-to poker

instructional book, Super System, which rapidly

became known as the poker bible, and updated that

work in his Super System 2 in 2004. He is often

quoted as saying, “No-limit hold’em is hours of

boredom and moments of sheer terror.”

Read on for Doyle’s tips on final-table play of a

major tournament:

“If you are lucky enough to make the final table,

you need to evaluate your position. For example, if

you have second-place chips and there are several

short stacks, you might try to avoid any major con-

frontations until several players are eliminated.

This depends on your financial situation and your

desire to win the tournament. If you really need the

money and you have a comfortable chip position,

you can often assure yourself of a second- or third-

place finish by playing carefully. That will result in

a very nice payday for you in these ever-increasing

large tournaments.

MY FRIENDS GIVE BIG TIPS 347

“However, if your main interest is winning the

tournament, this is a prime situation to really play

aggressively and try to get closer to the leader or

even overtake him. The difference [in money]

between fifth place and first place is so huge that

most players are just trying to hang on so they can

be pushed around in most pots.

“My main objective has always been to win the

tournament. Even before I was financially secure I

always did what I thought was best to achieve my

goal of winning first place. You need to think about

these things before you start a tournament and

decide what is best for you. So if you are lucky

enough to get to the last table, you’ll be ready.”

Todd Brunson

Todd Brunson must have poker in his blood. His

famous father, Doyle Brunson, writes in his book

Doyle Brunson’s Super System 2, “‘The apple doesn’t

fall far from the tree’ is certainly true when it comes

to my son, Todd Brunson. In 1989, after three years

of college where he was studying to be a lawyer,

Todd stunned me by announcing that he wasn’t

going back to school for his senior year; rather, he

was going to become a professional poker player. I

didn’t even know he knew how to play poker! So at

the age of twenty, Todd started his career as a pro.”

It didn’t take long for young Brunson to hone his

skills. At age twenty-one, he won his first major

tournament, the main event in the Diamond Jim


Brady tournament at the Bicycle Casino in Los

Angeles. That was the first of ten major career wins,

including his first WSOP bracelet in 2005, which he

earned by winning the Omaha high-low split event.

With that tremendous achievement, Doyle and

Todd Brunson became the first ever father and son

to capture coveted WSOP gold.

Many saw the heartwarming sight of Doyle

Brunson chanting his son’s name. When Todd

looked at his dad, Doyle removed his trademark

Stetson hat and bowed to his son after his victory.

Todd Brunson excels in all games of poker but is

a master at high-low split games, so much so that

his father asked him to write the detailed chapter of

seven-card stud high-low eight-or-better in his

Super System 2 book.

Todd preaches his “Platinum Rule” for any split

games:

“The object of split games is winning the whole

pot, also known as scooping. This is the most

important concept. I can’t emphasize this point

strongly enough. You’ve heard of the Golden Rule?

Well since this is twice as important, I call it my Plat-

inum Rule. When you are deciding whether or not

to enter a pot or proceed to the next street, you

should always ask yourself, ‘Can I scoop this whole

pot? Or am I playing for half?’ If you are playing for

only half, strongly consider folding. Just like the

Continental Divide separates the eastern and the

western United States, this concept separates

mediocre players from great ones.


“If you have any aspirations of rising to the top

in poker, you must learn all the games, especially

eight-or-better. These games are almost always

included in the mixed games.”

Vince Burgio

Vince Burgio is a familiar name and face in the world

of poker. He has been a professional poker player for

decades, and he also is a regular columnist for Card

Player magazine. Vince has a wonderful demeanor at

the table, always a gentleman and a true sportsman

whether he wins or loses. He is known as being one of

the gentlemen of the game. One of Vince’s proudest

poker moments occurred when he won Best All

Round Player at the 1992 Four Queens Classic. (At the

time, the Queens Tournament was one of the biggest

on the tour.) In addition to the title and bragging

rights for a year, he also was featured on the cover of

Card Player, and won an additional $10,222 and a dia-

mond ring. More recently, he won three consecutive

tournaments at the World Poker Classic in April of

2005 at the Plaza in Las Vegas and followed that up

with two first-place finishes at the Ultimate Poker

Challenge in July of 2005, again at the Plaza. This

prompted him to adopt the nickname “Plaza Vince.”

Vince’s list of money finishes in major tourna-

ments is a lengthy one. He has been in the winners’

circle of the WSOP ten times over the years and won

his first gold bracelet (I’m sure it won’t be his last) in

1994 (winning in the seven-card stud high-low split



competition), and coming in fourth in the main

event that same year.

Here’s Burgio’s advice on limit hold’em:

“Don’t try to get too fancy. If you only play the

premium hands it will be enough to win. If you’re

new to the game don’t worry about position and

number of players in the pot, just playing those

types of hands will almost always be correct. Once

you begin to understand why it is correct to play

premium hands you can graduate to more hands.

Some hands will become playable because you will

have three-, four-, or five-way action. Other lesser

hands become playable because you have good

position. By and large, play your good starting

hands with some aggression. Once you master and

understand these ideas you should be able to see

other opportunities where it will be correct to play

lesser hands. These hands may involve more risk

but because of the circumstance—number of play-

ers, your position, or the weakness of a player—you

can make winning plays with lesser hands.”

Mike Caro

Mike Caro was called “Crazy Mike” in the early days

of his poker career. In 1977, when Doyle Brunson

first met Caro, he labeled him the best draw poker

player in the world. Since then he has evolved into

the world’s foremost authority on poker strategy,

psychology, and statistics, and his nickname has

changed to the “Mad Genius of Poker.” He has

numerous books, videos, and audiotapes available

for those interested in a higher education in the

study of poker, in addition to the Mike Caro Univer-

sity of Poker, Gaming, and Life Strategy, which he

founded with an online campus.

I first attended a “Mad Genius Mike Caro”

seminar in the mid-eighties. As this rather wild-

looking man in a green corduroy suit walked back

and forth from one end of the stage to the other,

arms flailing, he preached specific points of poker,

life in general, and lots of psychology directly related

to playing winning poker. He kept repeating himself.

At first I thought, “No wonder he is called mad.” But

as I listened, it all became crystal clear. He repeated

his most important points to be sure everyone got it.

He was smart enough to know that everyone else’s

mind didn’t work as quickly as his did.

The following tips are from the Mike Caro

University:

• Money you don’t lose…buys just as many

things as money you win.

• What you already have invested in the

pot…doesn’t matter.

• You don’t get paid to win pots. You get paid to

make the right decisions.

• Tables with laughter are the most profitable.

• In poker…the profit comes from your right.

• Sit to the left of loose players. You want them to

act first.

• Beating strong foes wins much respect and little

money. Beating weak foes wins little respect

and much money.



• Don’t bet a medium-strong hand into a frequent

bluffer. Checking and calling earns more.

• When a frequent bluffer checks to you…don’t

bluff.

• You should sandbag powerful hands…when

the player to your left is the most likely bettor.

• Never criticize weak opponents for bad plays. It

makes them uncomfortable and motivates

them to play better.

• Never compliment weak opponents for good

plays. It makes them proud and motivates

them to play better.

• Players staring away…are almost always more

dangerous than players staring at you!

• A player who isn’t breathing…is probably

bluffing.

• Don’t watch the flop…watch your opponents

watch the flop.

Johnny Chan

Johnny Chan is one of the most recognized individ-

uals in poker today. He won back-to-back world

titles in 1987 and 1988. Amazingly, he almost made

it a Triple Crown but placed second to Phil

Hellmuth in 1989. He holds the record (tied with

Doyle Brunson) with ten WSOP gold bracelets in a

variety of events. He was inducted into the Poker

Hall of Fame in 2002. Chan was immortalized in the

movie Rounders, playing himself as the greatest

poker player in the world.

Chan’s tip is on money management:

“In any poker game, money management is the

most important thing. You can be a great player and

win, win, win, but if you can’t manage your money,

it’s all no good.”

Take it from someone who knows.

T. J. Cloutier

T. J. Cloutier has been a professional poker player

since 1956 when, as a very young man, he traveled

the Texas poker circuit looking for the biggest

games. Since then he has won more than fifty major

tournaments. Some highlights in his career include

winning six (as of this writing) World Series of Poker

bracelets. Although the world title has eluded him,

he has been “close enough to smell it” on four occa-

sions, placing fifth, third, and second (twice). How-

ever, he has won many other $10,000 championship

events. He is the only man ever to win the Diamond

Jim Brady main event three years in a row—1990,

1991, and 1992. He is the only man ever to win a

world title in all three Omaha events—Omaha high,

Omaha high-low, and pot-limit Omaha. He played

his way into two Tournament Player of the Year

awards—in 1998 and 2002. He is coauthor of three

popular poker books, Championship No-Limit and

Pot-Limit Hold’em, Championship Omaha, and

Championship Hold’em.

T. J.’s advice covers limit and no-limit hold’em:

“In no-limit hold’em the strategy is not where a



lot of people think, which is moving all in all the

time. You can maneuver your opponents in no-limit

by how you bet the hand. The whole idea is to get as

much money as you can out of any given hand that

you play. It is very much a game of position. Limit

hold’em is so different. It is a game of big cards. Play

big cards and don’t make frivolous calls. Actually, in

limit, you need to play tighter than in no-limit.

Watch and learn how everybody on your table is

playing and play them individually.”

Barbara Enright

Barbara Enright started playing cards with her older

brother when she was four years old. They played

old maid, war, and her favorite, five-card draw. As a

young adult, she was a professional hair stylist.

Between haircuts, she rushed to the back room to

join in on the private poker game that was usually

in progress. In 1976, a friend told her about “real”

poker that was available in a place called Gardena.

Daily, she would get off work and rush to one of the

clubs in Gardena. By 1978, after starting at the

lowest limits and working her way up as she learned

the nuances of the games, she had thoughts of

becoming a professional poker player. “I just

seemed to have a knack,” she explained.

For years Barbara played poker but she also kept

her job as a safety net. She soon admitted that she

made much more money playing poker full time.

She discovered tournament poker in 1986 when a

friend suggested she go to Las Vegas and play in the

ladies event of the World Series of Poker. “What’s the

World Series of Poker?” she asked. She soon found

out when she went to Las Vegas and made the

biggest parlay of her life. She bet $11 on a horse

because she liked its name, Victory. She won $75 on

that race and played in a $75 satellite to the ladies

event of the WSOP. She went on to win that event

and $16,400 (from her initial $11 investment). After

discovering tournament poker, she set the poker

world on its ear, burning up the tournament trail.

She is the only woman ever to win three World Series

bracelets and the only woman to make it to the final

table of the main event, placing fifth in 1995. She

also was the first woman to win the best all-round

award at the Legends of Poker at the Bicycle Casino

in 2000, which paid her a wheelbarrow full of cash

and a brand new candy-apple red PT Cruiser. Today,

Barbara continues to play poker professionally.

Barbara’s tips are on playing position both in

limit and no-limit hold’em:

“In limit hold’em, playing position is very

important. You can see more flops in limit espe-

cially if it’s inexpensive. You also can play more

hands under the gun or from middle position. You

can play hands such as A-J, K-Q, and small pair in

addition to stronger hands because you know that

someone can’t force you out before the flop (nor-

mally). In no-limit, position—especially late posi-

tion—becomes even more important. You can’t play

such hands up front that you can in limit. You can’t

call hands on speculation like you can in limit



hold’em because they can force you off the hand

and then you have wasted money by making early

position calls.”

Maureen Feduniak

Maureen Feduniak, originally from England, is the

grandmother of four and is often respectfully

referred to as the Grand Dame of Poker. Her interest

in the game developed when she met her soul mate,

Bob Feduniak, in New York in 1992. He was a social

poker player and she was intrigued when she sat

behind him and watched him play.

She and Bob sat on the floor and dealt out

poker hands as he explained the nuances of the

game. She eventually started playing low-limit and

tried her first competition poker in the WSOP

ladies event in 1997, where she placed fifth. She

states, “At that point I got the bug!” For her higher

education, she hired her friend T. J. Cloutier to

coach her. She has placed at many major tourna-

ment final tables but her proudest moment came

when she beat Howard Lederer at the Bellagio’s

2003 Festa al Lago $2,500 no-limit event. When

heads-up play began, Lederer had her out-

chipped five-to-one. This victory would be a

tremendous accomplishment for any poker player.

Most people recognize Maureen from the 2004 WPT

Ladies’ Night episode and other major tournament

final table appearances.

Maureen is also a champion ballroom dancer.

Her poker tip is:

“I think the principal difference in the strategy of

limit and no-limit hold’em is that limit is a game of

chase and defense and no-limit is a game of attack.

In limit there are more gray areas while no-limit is

more black and white!”

Phil Gordon

Phil Gordon was a child prodigy who began college

at age fifteen and got his degree at age twenty. At age

seven he started playing poker with his great-aunt

Lib for pennies. He tells a poignant story of love and

respect for his aunt, Marie Elizabeth Lacus, the

woman who taught him how to play poker. He lost

her to cancer in the fall of 2002.

Phil began donating to the Cancer Research and

Prevention Foundation every time he won money

in poker competition. He is the man behind the

World Series promotion “Put a Bad Beat on Can-

cer,” in which he solicits poker players to pledge 1

percent of their tournament wins to cancer

research. In the first year of the event, Chris Mon-

eymaker made his pledge for Gordon and his char-

ity program then went on to win the main event

and $2.5 million. The Cancer Research and Preven-

tion Foundation promptly received $25,000 from

that single donation. Every year, Gordon has a

booth set up for any and all players to make their 1

percent pledge. He is known as one of the nicest

guys in the poker world.



Today Phil is known not only as a great poker

player, having won millions of dollars during his rel-

atively short poker career and coming within three

men of winning the world championship in the

2000 WSOP, but also as an expert poker analyst and

the cohost of the popular TV show on Bravo, The

Celebrity Poker Showdown. He authored a book,

Poker: The Real Deal, which is dedicated to his Aunt

Lib.

He considers his tip simple but important in any

poker game or tournament:

“The goal of poker is simple: when you have the

best hand, get your opponent to put as much money

as possible into the pot. When you have the worst

hand, put as little money as possible into the pot.”

Barry Greenstein

Barry Greenstein is another generous, charity-

minded poker player. He is famous for his poker

achievements, and he also has achieved a lot of

notoriety for his philanthropy. He donates his poker

tournament winnings to charity to help underprivi-

leged children.

Like many in the inner workings of the poker

world, I thought Greenstein was a gazillionaire, hav-

ing made his fortune in the stock market, through

an inheritance, or as one story circulated, because

he had begun a software company, sold it at a young

age, and retired to spend his fortune playing poker.

Like those many other misinformed poker players, I

discovered through Barry’s book Ace on the River

that none of that is true. He is a hardworking pro-

fessional poker player who makes a very good living

and donates his tournament winnings to needy

children because he believes it is a good thing to do

and wants to inspire others to consider such gener-

ous acts.

He did work at a software company, but he never

owned it or sold it. He took the job in 1984. It was

close to a poker club in Palo Alto, California, where

he spent a great deal of time supplementing his

software income playing poker. He moved up in

limits through the years, and now he plays the

biggest games in the world, along with his friends

the Brunsons. Doyle Brunson has stated that Barry

Greenstein is in his top-ten list of all-time best

poker players in the world.

He is a WSOP bracelet winner and a World Poker

Tour Champion. He has many tournament wins

under his belt and is known as the modern-day

Robin Hood of poker. He is most definitely the most

respected man in poker.

In 2004 he published his first book, Ace on the

River. Even for those who haven’t mastered the art of

reading, his book is worth the price for the awe-

some full-color photos on almost every single page.

Greenstein is a shy man, but he relishes the

national publicity his charities receive when he

wins money in a poker tournament. In his book he

explains his decision to donate all of his tourna-

ment winnings. He states, “I have felt a need to jus-

tify my role in society. I like to think of myself as a



modern-day Robin Hood. By using my wits, I take

money from rich people for the benefit of others.”

Greenstein’s comment on poker is the answer to

the age-old question, “Who is the best poker player

in the world?” Barry Greenstein’s answer is, “No one.

Nobody plays his or her best every day. No player is

the best in all forms of poker, against all groups of

opponents, on an everyday basis. Even in your

poker circle, you are not going to be the best all the

time. Just try to play well and manage well.”

His advice is:

“Overconfidence can lead to carelessness in

decision-making. [Author’s note: Remember, poker

is about making the correct decisions.] The poker

gods can provide a run of bad cards that will make

anyone look foolish.”

Russ Hamilton

Russ Hamilton won the world championship in

1994. Winning the World Series main event is the

dream of any poker player, but in 1994 the honor

was made even more special because it was

Binion’s Horseshoe Casino’s twenty-fifth anniver-

sary. For the silver anniversary owner, Jack Binion

announced that the winner would be playing not

only for the $1 million prize and the gold bracelet,

but also, in celebration of Binion’s twenty-fifth year,

the new world champion would also win his weight

in sterling silver bars. Russ tells the story. “Every

year when the main event got to heads up, the

tournament director would call Jack Binion so he

could make the arrangements to bring the money

in and watch the heads-up action. That year when

he received the call, his first question was, ‘How

much do they weigh?’” Hamilton continues, “The

tournament director told him, ‘One hundred forty

pounds and three hundred thirty pounds!’ I’m

pretty sure that year that Jack Binion was rooting

for the man who weighed only one hundred forty

pounds. They never expected the winner to weigh

over three hundred pounds.” (Since 1994 Hamilton

has lost over one hundred seventy pounds!) “After I

won, I had my choice if I wanted the silver bars or

cash. I chose the ten-pound silver bars. They had to

order three more! They had only thirty on hand! To

tell the truth, I actually weighed three hundred

seventy but their scales didn’t go that high, and I

was embarrassed to tell them. So, Binion’s still owes

me four silver bars!”

In addition to Hamilton’s success at the poker

tables, he was a professional blackjack player prior

to 1990. He turned to poker after he was invited not

to return to many casinos to play blackjack. He has

been called one of the best all-around card players

in the world.

Russ Hamilton discusses a few of the differences

in playing limit hold’em and no-limit. “The biggest

difference to me is the starting hands. I can play a

lot more hands in no-limit because after the flop I

can win a lot of money with a hand like J-9 suited,

more than I can win in limit hold’em with the same

hand. You have to start with only good quality



hands in limit because you are limited to what you

can win after the flop. You won’t flop enough hands

in limit poker with the J-9 to make it a worthwhile

hand to play. In limit, start only with good quality

starting hands and play them aggressively. In no-

limit you can start with a lot of different hands as

long as you play good after the flop, and this only

comes with a lot of playing time and experience.

You have to be able to steal in no-limit and that

means having a lot of heart. It’s not for the weak-

hearted!”

Linda Johnson

Linda Johnson went to work at the post office in

1975 and by 1980 had climbed the ladder of success

to a very high-paying job. She was next in line to

become a postmaster, a unique position for a

woman. There was only one obstacle—she was

absolutely enthralled and passionate about the

game of poker. She gave herself some challenges,

passed them, and decided to become a professional

poker player. She has been a trailblazer for other

female professional poker players ever since.

In 1992, due to a series of circumstances and

what Linda deems fate, she along with two partners

bought Card Player magazine and Card Player

Cruises. She spearheaded the World Poker Confer-

ences, the World Poker Player’s Conferences, and

was a cofounder of the Tournament Director’s

Association.

In 1997, Johnson became only the second

woman to win an open-field event at the World

Series of Poker. She was a strong driving force

behind the original idea for the World Poker Tour

and today serves as the color commentator for the

nationally televised show. Due to her many contri-

butions to the world of poker, her peers have hailed

her as the “First Lady of Poker.”

Her best advice in no-limit is:

“Don’t bet more than you have to to get the job

done. For example, if the blinds are $50-$100 and

you are trying to steal the blinds, you can attempt it

by raising somewhere between $300 and $400. There

is no need to move all in for $2,000 and risk having

someone wake up with two aces and bust you.”

Howard Lederer

Howard Lederer discovered poker at age eighteen

when he found the poker game in the back room of

his favorite chess club. His passion quickly changed

from chess to poker. He was hooked; however, in

those early days, he admits to going home broke

nine times out of ten. In the mid-eighties, he honed

his no-limit skill playing at the Mayfair Club in New

York with some of today’s top players. To continue

his poker progression he moved to Las Vegas in

1993. He considers no-limit hold’em both exciting

and terrifying. He is quoted as saying, “There is

nothing like the thrill of playing at a big-money final

table.”



He makes many appearances at final tables on

the tournament circuit, claiming in recent years two

World Poker Tour titles, one Bellagio Five Star Classic

Championship, and two World Series titles along

with the coveted gold bracelets, the ultimate goal of

all serious tournament poker players.

He is considered to be one of the most respected

and consistently winning professional poker play-

ers in the world today. Because his winning poker

style is often called “intellectual” and he is a great

teacher, he has been labeled the “Poker Professor.”

Professor Lederer’s tips are on tells and razz:

“When you are trying to read opponents, study

their hands. Players are always conscious of their

face, but they actually will give more away with their

hands. If you closely study how a player puts chips

in the pot when he has a big hand as opposed to

when he is bluffing, you will have a huge edge. You

will be able get a great read while ignoring a lot of

unreliable information that might come from

studying their faces.

“Good drawing hands are actually the favorite

in razz on fifth street. With two cards to come, if

you have the better four-card hand, you can raise

against even a better five-card hand if you are

drawing smoother. An example would be if your

opponent bets with 9-8-6 (X-X) on board. You can

raise with K-6-5-3-2. Your 6 low draw is the favorite

against the made 9 low and the possible 8 low

draw.”

Tom McEvoy

Tom McEvoy hails from Grand Rapids, Michigan, giv-

ing him the nickname in the poker world of “Grand

Rapids Tom.” He married there and had a family

while working as an accountant. He found this

normal life boring and stifling. He had learned to play

poker at his grandmother’s knee when he was only

five years old, and after several visits to Las Vegas to

play poker (once he was all grown up) he decided he

had enough talent to become a professional poker

player. He made that decision in 1979 and never

looked back. He won the world championship in 1983

and was the first player ever to play and win the main

event from a satellite victory (satellite play was just

getting started in the early eighties.) He has a total of

four WSOP bracelets. He considers himself a

tournament specialist. His list of wins, places, and

shows is so long he probably can’t remember them all.

Most notably he has been in the winner’s circle of the

WSOP eighteen other times. Over the years as he

educated himself on the best way to win at poker, he

began to share this information with his friends and

fans. This resulted in a series of poker books almost as

long as his tournament record. As of this writing, Tom

has twelve poker books out. I personally call him the

Professor because he has taught me so much.

Many have used his original quote on the luck

factor in tournament competition:

“In tournament play you have to have developed

the skill to survive long enough in order to give



yourself the opportunity to get lucky. If you win a

tournament, you will have gotten lucky…more than

once!”

Daniel Negreanu

This young Canadian, born in 1974, started play-

ing poker at the age of fifteen and moved to Las

Vegas to play poker full time as soon as he was of

legal age. In 1998, at age twenty-three, he won the

first World Series event that he’d ever played—the

Pot-Limit Hold’em Tournament. Early in his poker

career, between 1997 and 1999, he won more than

any other player on the circuit during that time

span. Daniel is considered one of the top tourna-

ment players in the world who also excels in cash

games. He has been known to be one of the more

outspoken players in the world, often tackling

complicated poker issues and showing no fear of

rocking the boat. Daniel Negreanu is one of the

most familiar people in poker and rightfully so. His

success is enormous, his talent is unrivaled, and

his personality is unforgettable. In 2004, Daniel

won the Card Player magazine’s Tournament

Player of the Year award and the World Series of

Poker’s Player of the Year award. Daniel started

2005 as second on the World Poker Tours all-time

money list with his winnings topping $4 million in

that series of events only. His total final table

appearances and championships are too numer-

ous to list.

His tips and suggestions are:

“There is one key difference that is often over-

looked. Optimal play on the flop differs greatly

between limit and no-limit hold’em. In limit, it’s

important to pound, pound, pound with top pair

while in no-limit you need to proceed cautiously on

the flop. Top pair is a strong hand worth multiple

bets in limit hold’em, but in no-limit if all of your

money goes in and you are called—you usually are

dead. So, with that bit of information, you should

adjust your strategy and try to take the lead as often

as possible in limit hold’em while looking to trap a

little more often in no-limit.

“Bring back the limp!” Daniel declares. “Every-

one believes that to play no-limit correctly you must

always be raising or reraising.” He suggests, “In

shorthanded or heads-up play, bring back the limp

because you never know what that flop might

bring.”

Scotty Nguyen

Scotty Nguyen (pronounced “win,” how appropriate!)

arrived in the United States in 1979, a refugee from

South Vietnam, one of the original “boat people.” He

has always said that becoming a professional poker

player was his dream, his goal, and that it was in his

blood. He began as a poker dealer and learned many

of the skills necessary to become a great poker player.

He is a lady’s man and known to call everyone “baby,”

the word he ends most of his sentences with.



In 1998, when he won the world championship,

he is quoted as saying to his opponent Kevin

McBride, “You call this one and it’s all over, baby.”

McBride called and it was all over. McBride had

called thinking that playing the full house on the

board was going to get him half the pot, but Scotty

had a 9 in his hand, giving him a larger full house.

Scotty earned the title and a million dollars. He is

also among the highest-earning tournament players

of all time. Scotty’s list of titles is lengthy, including

three other WSOP bracelets in addition to his world

championship. He is one of the most aggressive

poker players playing today and always plays to win,

which is why he has one of the highest total tourna-

ment winnings of all time. Although his superconfi-

dent and aggressive style sometimes gets him into

trouble, it also is the reason he has so many titles.

Scotty’s tip was surprisingly on table manners

rather than strategy. The subject is obviously impor-

tant to him. “Play nice. No need to be mean to any-

body, baby; no need to be rude. Everybody should

just play nice and never be ugly to each other. Play

poker with class, baby.”

Greg “Fossilman” Raymer

Greg Raymer seemed to come out of nowhere

and has taken the poker world by storm. His nick-

name “Fossilman” comes from the fossils he col-

lects, some of which he uses as card cappers at the

table. In 2000, Raymer burst onto the poker scene,

a virtual unknown, by making the final table at the

World Poker Finals and finishing in third place. In

2004, on the heels of the unbelievable WSOP vic-

tory of Chris Moneymaker, who won his seat

online for $40 and went on to become the world

champion, Greg also won his seat at the same

online poker site, Poker Stars. Two amateur players

winning the world championship changed the

face of competitive poker forever. It was now

proven that an everyday man, a regular guy, could

win the gold. It was Raymer’s third time to play the

main event and he proceeded to defeat a field of

2,576 players. He won over $5 million for his first-

place finish, which was the single largest cash

prize for a poker tournament ever. The win put

him at the top of the most all-time money won list

for the WSOP. He followed up in 2005 by almost

doing the impossible, when he came in twenty-

fifth out of a field of over fifty-six hundred in the

WSOP main event. Greg has a well-deserved repu-

tation as a nice guy both on and off the poker

table. He is a family man who has put his full-time

job as a patent attorney for a large pharmaceutical

company on hold while he pursues his career as a

professional poker player.

The famous Fossilman has several tips:

“My number one tip: Never gamble with money

you can’t afford to lose. If you do this, nothing else is

really that big of a deal.

“Don’t just buy and zip through a poker book.

Buy the best poker books, and really study them.

Spend lots of time on each page, and really think



about all the aspects of what the author is saying.

There is no cheaper way to learn how to play better.

“In limit poker, you need to play tight early and

loose late. Early in a hand, unless you’re sure you

should be playing the given hand, be heavily inclined

to fold. Late in the hand, unless you’re sure that

folding is correct, be heavily inclined to call or raise.”

Mike Sexton

Mike Sexton has been involved in the poker industry

for more than twenty-five years. Before he became a

professional player, Mike attended Ohio State

University on a gymnastics scholarship. After

graduation and a stint in the army, he stayed in North

Carolina, got married, and worked real jobs for four

years, including teaching ballroom dancing (Mike’s

hobby is dancing, and he is as smooth on the dance

floor as he is at a poker table). At that time he began

playing in home games and in late 1977 decided to

quit his job and try playing poker for a living, which

he did for over twenty years. He moved to Las Vegas

in 1985. Mike was in on the ground floor of the World

Poker Tour (see the introduction). He has gained

celebrity status by cohosting the WPT with Vince Van

Pattern on the Travel Channel. He writes regularly for

Card Player magazine and Gambling Times, and

served as a host and consultant for the largest online

poker cardroom, Party Poker. It was some of Mike’s

promotional ideas that skyrocketed Party Poker to its

top two poker site status.

Mike is known by many from the “old poker

world” for being the founder (and the developer) of

the Tournament of Champions. This unique event,

held once a year, allowed any player from anywhere

in the world who won a sizable tournament during

the previous year to compete. This field of cham-

pion players produced the “best of the best” (and a

pretty hefty prize pool). Unfortunately, this terrific

event lasted only three years, but it was very well

received. Mike says, “It could be back.”

With the Tournament of Champions, the grand

success of Party Poker under the direction of Sex-

ton, and the change in the world that resulted from

the World Poker Tour, Mike Sexton is known as one

of the greatest promoters of poker in history.

Mike was also successful in his days as a profes-

sional poker player. An excellent tournament player

since 1989, he won or found himself in the winner’s

circle on a multitude of occasions. Most notably, he

was in the money a total of thirty-two times at the

WSOP and won his first bracelet in the seven-card

stud high-low split event.

Mike’s advice is to new players and to anyone

considering playing poker for a living:

“In poker and life, winning takes effort. I recom-

mend you read and study poker books prior to play-

ing for serious money. Get the fundamentals down

and then practice, practice, practice. Of course, I

would recommend my book, Shuffle Up and Deal.

“The biggest mistake amateurs make is that they

play too many hands and call their money off too

much. Good players know when to ‘get away from a



hand’ and bad players don’t. Remember, the most

profitable play in poker is to fold. If you have any

aspirations of becoming a professional player, you

better love the game. I don’t mean ‘like’ to play

poker, I mean ‘love’ to play.”

Dr. Max Stern

Dr. Max Stern practiced medicine in Costa Rica and

played poker in private clubs and weekly home

games for many years. During this time, Stern, his

wife Maria, and many of their Costa Rican poker

pals visited Las Vegas regularly and always during

the World Series of Poker. He eventually retired to

Las Vegas where he continues to play poker profes-

sionally. He has numerous wins, places, and shows

on the poker circuit to his credit. Most notably are

three WSOP bracelets and the most special of the

three bracelets is the one he won in 1997, which

happened to be the same year his wife won her first

WSOP championship, making them the first and

only husband and wife couple ever to win world

titles in the same year. Max won in seven-card stud

eight-or-better and Maria in seven-card stud. Stern

collaborated with Linda Johnson and Tom McEvoy

on the book Championship Stud.

Dr. Stern is also a world champion no-limit player.

His advice to you is famous and has been claimed by

many. It is simple and to the point. “Sometimes in no-

limit hold’em, in order to live, you have to be willing

to die.”

Robert Williamson

Robert Williamson enjoys traveling all over the

world to play poker. His words to live by are “carpe

diem”—seize the day! He literally is half the man he

was when he first started playing professional

poker, having lost more than two hundred pounds.

He states, “I am much, much more vibrant these

days. I used to need ten to twelve hours of sleep a

day. Now, I sleep about six hours, so it has given me

more hours in the day. My energy level is incredible.

I was missing control in that one area of my life, but

now I have control of all areas. I can play longer

hours because I have more stamina. I am happier

with my life and confident that I will be around for

a long time.”

Williamson’s list of money finishes in major

tournaments is almost as long as the Mississippi

River. He has made a dozen in the money finishes in

the World Series of Poker, including two second-

place and two third-place wins as of this writing. He

notes that he was thrilled to take home the gold by

winning his first gold bracelet in the $5,000 Pot-

Limit Omaha event in 2002. His goal is to win many

more World Series bracelets.

His poker tip brings up a great point that is often

overlooked:

“Don’t play over your head. Whether it is the lim-

its you play or the competition you play against,

don’t play over your head. Pick and choose carefully

for your best results.”


Another Williamson tip is on tipping:

“If you want to make sure that the cocktail wait-

ress or important other waiter (person) in your life

pays close attention to your every need, make sure

your first tip (gratuity) of the night is extra (very)

generous. Don’t worry, if they are making a living at

waiting on people, they will realize real quickly that

you do not mind paying generously for good service

(and it will normally continue throughout the

night—sometimes the whole weekend—and if you

are really fortunate, the entire week!!!). This is a

proven principle because I love great service!”

One last note: If you are interested in researching

the history of any poker player’s tournament results,

go to www.thehendonmob.com for in-depth player

statistics on all major poker competitions.


BibliographyAce on the River: An Advanced Poker Guide, Barry

Greenstein.

Awesome Profits: From Kitchen Poker Table to Tour-

nament Final Table, George Elias.

Caro’s Book of Poker Tells, Mike Caro.

Championship Hold’em, T. J. Cloutier and Tom

McEvoy.

Championship No-Limit and Pot-Limit Hold’em, T.

J. Cloutier and Tom McEvoy.

Championship Omaha, T. J. Cloutier and Tom

McEvoy.

Championship Stud: 7-Card Stud, Stud/8, Razz, Max

Stern, Tom McEvoy, and Linda Johnson

Doyle Brunson’s Super System, Doyle Brunson.

Doyle Brunson’s Super System 2, Doyle Brunson.

Get the Edge at Low-Limit Texas Hold’em, Bill Burton.

Internet Texas Hold’em: Winning Strategies from an

Internet Pro, Matthew Hilger.

Harrington on Hold’em Expert Strategy for No-

Limit Tournaments: Strategic Play (Vol. 1), Dan

Harrington.

Killer Poker Online: Crushing the Internet Game,

John Vorhaus.

MsPoker: Up Close and Personal, Susie Isaacs.

Omaha Hi-Lo Poker (Eight or Better) How to Win at

the Lower Limits, Shane Smith.

Poker: The Real Deal, Phil Gordon.

Shuffle Up and Deal, Mike Sexton.

About the AuthorSusie Isaacs is best known

for being the first woman to

win the World Series of

Poker ladies’ championship

back-to-back in 1996 and

1997. In 1998, she placed

tenth in the World Series of

Poker $10,000 event, vying

for the $1 million first prize.

Isaacs became the second

woman in history to accom-

plish such an outstanding finish. She is a professional

tournament poker player who has won various titles

and placed in the money numerous times over the

past fifteen years, including winning the first Queen

of Hearts Tournament at the Bicycle Casino in Los

Angeles, winning the Best All Round award at the

Ladies Crystal Open in Reno, and winning first place

at the Orleans Open in Las Vegas. Isaacs was voted in

to play on the 2005 Pro Poker Tour of the World Poker

Tour.

In addition to her career as a professional poker

player, Isaacs has written a regular column and fea-

ture stories for Casino Journal, Strictly Slots, Poker

Digest, Poker Player newspaper, and Card Player

magazines. Currently she is a regular columnist for

Women’s Poker Player magazine, Top Pair magazine,

and the American Poker Player magazine, which

features her popular column “Chip Chatter.”

Isaacs is a recognized expert on the subject of

poker. Nationally, Isaacs has appeared in Card

Player magazine, “Geraldo Rivera Reports from Las

Vegas: The American Fantasy,” and “Behind the

Scene at the World Series of Poker” on the Discovery

Channel.

She made a guest appearance on the World

Poker Tour and was seen on ESPN’s “Ladies’ Night”

segment at the World Series of Poker, having made

the final table of the ladies’ world championship

(again).

In 2005, she played on Jim Woods’s team on the

GSN poker series, Poker Royale, when the James

Woods Gang faced off with the Unabombers.

In Las Vegas, Isaacs has received media coverage

in the Review Journal Business Section, “Nevadan at

Work,” Larry Grossman’s radio talk show, You Can

Bet On It, and Las Vegas Channel 13 news, Inside Las

Vegas, in a segment titled “Winning Over Women.”

In 1999, Isaacs published her first book,

MsPoker: Up Close and Personal. She is presently

working on a new book: Queens Can Beat Kings: A

Woman’s Guide to Poker. She has also written

MsPoker: I’m Not Bluffing, a two-book series, and an

autobiography titled Me and My Mama. She has a

novel entitled Poker Is Skill, Life Is the Gamble in the

works.

Susie also has a line of poker jewelry

(www.susieisaacs.com).


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